Frozen Onward
by N.J.Berm
Summary: After the Great Thaw Elsa is desperate to prove herself as queen and repair the bond with her sister. However, Elsa is plagued with night terrors, will the sleepless nights take their toll? My version of what happens between the punching of Hans and the epilogue. Sisterly fluff and some light Kristanna. **Caution** Swearing and there is a tiny mention of thoughts of self harm
1. Chapter 1

**So this is my first attempt at writing a FanFiction, decided to try my hand at it since this has been buzzing around in my head for a while. It starts just before the end of the movie at a part that I would have altered if it were a movie for a more adult audience :) It then will continue outlining what I think would happen directly after the movie. WARNING - many feels ahead! Not sure how long I will continue this, will probably depend on if anyone enjoys it...**

**BIG shout out to my amazing beta ATHPluver, if you don't follow her already, DO IT! You will not regret it.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please send me any and all reviews so that I can improve my writing.**

**DISCLAIMER: Frozen and its characters belong to Disney, I am simply the puppet master ;)**

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"Hands down, this is the best day of my life. And quite possibly the last," announced an ever joyful snowman as he slowly melted before the eyes of the two women, man, and reindeer in front of him. Water slowly spread across the deck of the massive ship on which they all stood after the fjord was thawed seconds ago.

"Oh, Olaf!" giggled the older of the two women. "Hang on little guy."

With a small wave of her pale hand the sentient snowman gently rose back to his original frozen state, a small cloud forming over his head. With an excited gasp Olaf began jumping for joy like a child on Christmas day.

"My own personal flurry! Thanks, Elsa," Olaf laughed, looking up at his creator fondly, a look which she returned before turning back to the younger woman standing beside her.

The girl grasped her arm tightly for fear that if she loosened her grip, even for a second, the older woman would somehow slip away again and this time she would never come back. Elsa however, had no intention of leaving. Instead she gazed lovingly at the girl, trying to memorize every freckle on her face and every strawberry-blonde hair on her head.

Anna.

Her beloved little sister, the one person Elsa had loved so much she was willing to all but lock herself in a room for thirteen years in order to keep her safe. The sister she never had a chance to watch change from the little girl of her childhood to the beautiful young woman standing before her. There was so much Elsa wanted to say, and the thought that she had almost lost that chance forever brought bile to her throat and tears to her eyes. She could feel her emotions beginning to overwhelm her as blue sparks danced across her fingertips.

"Anna, I -" she began but was cut off when a groan caught her attention.

At the other end of the ship a red haired man shakily rose to his feet, nursing a sore jaw. The rest of the world fell away for the queen; cerulean blue eyes saw nothing but the figure before her, blood pounding in her ears. Elsa was a smart woman and it didn't take her long to realize that he Hans had left Anna for dead in order to bring her the same fate.

The other man, who had been with Anna at the ice palace, moved towards the prince fully intending to cause a great deal of harm, but Elsa was faster.

Without thinking, the queen gently pushed Anna behind her and stalked toward Hans like a predator preparing to deliver its prey the final strike. The temperature dropped rapidly and a strong wind began to swirl around the woman, ripping her platinum blonde hair in all directions. Face contorted in rage, she quickly closed to the gap between Hans and herself, fingers itching with frost.

At the sound of her approach Hans looked up abruptly. Upon seeing Elsa and the small dagger of ice that slid smoothly into her palm he was suddenly consumed with white-hot fear.

With surprising speed the queen brought the tip of the weapon to his throat and backed him up against the ship's railing, "If you even think of coming near my family again, I will teach you the _true_ meaning of cold. Do I make myself clear?" she snarled, pushing the dagger deep enough into his skin to draw a small trickle of blood.

Hans simply stared at her; even though he had seen her fight off the Weselton men back at her palace the prince did not think the timid queen he met at the coronation ball was capable of such threats.

"Do I make myself clear!" she roared, her voice rising to a dangerous level as frost began to creep up Hans' neck where the blade bit into his flesh.

Green eyes locked on blue and the fear Hans had once felt melted into hatred. He had been so close to achieving his goals and yet here he was, at the mercy of this witch. She had gained power over him and it made him furious.

"Crystal clear, your Majesty," he spat at her, teeth bared. Elsa however, did not lower the razor sharp ice in her hand. Her body shaking with barely contained fury as her wind still continued to howl around them.

"Elsa! Stop! Please!" Anna's voice reached the young queen's ears and all at once the winds fell away and the warmth returned. The dagger, however, remained firmly in the queen's hand, but she lowered it enough for Hans to rub the small wound she had made. "Elsa please, he's not worth it," the princess cried as she ran to her elder sister's side, clutching her free arm and causing Elsa to tear her icy gaze from the vile man. Her expression softened when she looked down at her sister's worried one.

"I'm sorry, Anna. You're right. I lost my temper," she said allowing the ice forged weapon to evaporate. Raising herself to her full height and sliding her mask of queenly indifference into place, Elsa turned her attention back to a still furious Hans. "Prince Hans of the Southern Isles, I, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, do hereby charge you with attempted regicide and treason. As a consequence of your actions, I strip you of your princely title and banish you from Arendelle. When we reach the shore you will be immediately jailed until such a time that I can arrange for your removal from my kingdom. I shall be writing to your family, informing them of your crimes and providing them with adequate time to decide a fitting punishment," the young queen finished in a tone that reflected the finality of her words.

As she began to turn away from the man his wrath came to a head, "You bitch!" he bellowed. "You can't force me-!" But he hardly managed to finish for Anna had whirled around so fast that he had no time to react. With all force that she could muster the princess slammed her fist into his face causing him to fall head-over-heels into the water below.

"Anna!" the young queen cried looking at her younger sister in shock and, if she was being completely honest with herself, pride.

Anna turned toward Elsa trying her best to look contrite but failing miserably as a wide grin spread across her freckled face, blue eyes sparkling.

"Sorry, Elsa. I guess we both lose our temper when our sister is involved," she said cheerfully, holding her hands up in surrender.

Unable to hold back any longer, Elsa pulled her sister into a bone crushing hug. Clinging to her like a lifeline and burying her face into the strawberry-blonde hair. Anna returned the hug with equal enthusiasm as she nuzzled into the space where the queen's neck met her shoulders, savouring the scent of winter air that lingered there.

Anna opened her eyes to see Kristoff, who she has forgotten about until now, standing off to the side one arm draped across the shoulders of his best friend and reindeer, Sven. He smiled brightly as he watched the two sisters embrace, a beaming Olaf tearing up beside him. The princess could not remember a time when she had been happier; she had her older sister back and had found someone who truly loved her, but her reverie was broken was she noticed that Elsa was shaking.

The sound of quiet sobs met her ears and the young princess' smile was quickly replaced with a frown. Pulling away from her elder sibling but still gripping her shoulders Anna looked at Elsa with eyes full of concern.

"Elsa? Elsa, what's wrong? Are you hurt?" Her voice shook, fearing the worst. Did Hans harm the queen after all?

Her head bowed, Elsa slowly shook her head, unable to look up at Anna.

"Then what is it? Why are you crying?" Anna pressed softly.

"I- I'm so sorry Anna," she sobbed still unable to raise her eyes from the deck of the ship.

"Sorry for what?" Anna was becoming increasingly confused, why was Elsa acting this way? The girl could not remember a time when her sister was this upset, not even at the coronation.

"For everything!" she blurted out, tears streaming down her face and falling to the wood beneath their feet. "Please, Anna you have to understand that I never wanted to hurt you. I pushed you away because I- I couldn't control it," she said between sobs. "It was only supposed to be t-temporary, but I wasn't s-strong enough. I didn't want to harm you, not again," she whispered sinking to her knees and staring at her trembling hands while frost slowly spread around her.

Anna dropped down along with her, ignoring the cold and feeling hot tears of her own stinging her eyes. It was then that Anna caught a glimpse of what Elsa had gone through during all those years of isolation and it made her heart shatter. She could not stand to see the person she had idolized her entire life in such pain.

"I missed you every day, every minute, but I loved you too m-much to put you at risk," Elsa wept clutching her hands to her chest. "And then, my worst fear became reality when I saw you frozen on the fjord. I _failed_. I couldn't keep you safe from me, I-I killed you!" Her entire body convulsed with the sobs that ripped from her throat as she rocked slowly back and forth whispering "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," over and over.

"Oh, Elsa, shhh. Hey," she soothed wrapping her arms around the broken women pulling her close.

The queen, who a short time ago had been the perfect picture of poise and grace, now sat crumpled in the arms of her sister, all composure lost. Façade finally broken, Elsa was revealed for what she truly was, a young girl with the weight of ruling a kingdom, protecting her sister, and keeping a powerful secret on her shoulders. It had simply become too much to bare.

"Elsa, it's okay, I'm here. I'm fine," she said softly stroking her sister's blonde hair, her own tears falling freely now. In response the snow queen simply shifted her body so that she could press her ear to Anna's chest. "Yes, it's still beating. I'm not going anywhere. I promise." Smiling, she rubbed her sister's back slowly until she calmed down.

After a short while Elsa sat up and finally lifted her cerulean blue eyes to the sky blue ones of her sister.

"Thank you," she said delicately taking Anna's face in her hands wiping any stray tears away with her thumbs and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Both women got to their feet arm-in-arm, smoothing out dresses, wiping away tears and putting hair back into place. The sound of someone clearing their throat and sniffling reminded the sisters that they were not alone. Kristoff appeared extremely uncomfortable and was trying to keep his eyes focused on anything but the royals as he fidgeted next to Sven. Olaf on the other hand was crying rather loudly and ran forward hugging the legs of the smiling girls.

After somewhat successfully consoling a tearful Olaf, Elsa once again became the refined queen. Straightening her back and neatly folding her hands together, she faced Kristoff with a reserved smile, "I don't believe we have properly been introduced."

Kristoff snapped to attention when he realized that she was speaking to him.

Despite being almost a full head taller than her, the mountain man felt miniscule while under the queen's calculating gaze. He had never been more intimidated in his entire life and it wasn't just because of her powers. She was strikingly beautiful and her mere presence demanded a respect that Kristoff fumbled to give, unsure of how to address her. For a few moments all he could do was stare before he lowered his gaze and did his best to bow, yet it was still stiff and awkward.

"Kristoff Bjorgman, your Majesty. And this is Sven," he said indicating the shaggy reindeer on his right.

"They helped me find you and brought me home when … when I was hurt …" Anna said wincing slightly hoping she didn't make Elsa feel too guilty.

She saw a flicker of pain in the young queen's eyes before Elsa nodded and turned back to the blond haired man who was now running a gloved hand on the back of his neck, cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

"Thank you Kristoff, thank you Sven," she said looking to each of them respectively. "I owe you a great deal for assisting Anna. You will both be rewarded accordingly and as a token of my sincerest gratitude I would like to invite you to stay with us as my personal guests for as long as you wish. The gates of Arendelle will always be open to each of you," Elsa declared with a warm smile.

Kristoff looked as if he were about to protest when she shot him a look, effectively silencing him. "I _insist_."

Not wishing to argue with the queen Kristoff simply nodded in submission.

"Good. Now I think it is about time we went back home," Elsa said, glancing at her kingdom. "I believe I owe my subjects an apology."


	2. Chapter 2

The snow queen lifted a single arm, one that was not currently linked with Anna's, and flicked her wrist. A gust of cool air filled the great vessel's white sails and slowly brought the ship groaning back to life. As they glided closer and closer to the docks Elsa realized just how nervous she was. The smile that once lit up her face slowly disappeared.

_What if they are still afraid of me, think I am a monster? What if they do not want me as their queen?_

All these thoughts and more raced through the young queen's mind as she stared at her kingdom. Her unease increasing the more she contemplated what awaited her and she unconsciously hugged her arms around her torso.

Sensing the older woman's anxiety Anna took her sister's cool hand in her warm one, lacing their fingers together and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"They'll love you," she said softly, smile lighting up her features.

A warmth spread through Elsa's chest as returned the smile gratefully. "I hope you're right," she sighed.

Resolving to not let her fears get the best of her, the queen stood a little straighter as Arendelle rose to greet them.

The moment the queen's ice blue slipper stepped from the ship's gangplank to the dock below she was swarmed by a combination of her royal guard, foreign dignitaries, and some of the palace servants.

"Your Majesty, Princess Anna! Thank goodness you are both okay!"

"Queen Elsa, I demand an explanation!"

"Where is Prince Hans?"

Despite the emotional storm that raged within her, Elsa did not bat an eyelash. Years of keeping her feelings hidden from those around her finally being of use as she slowly raised a pale white hand. She was relieved when it elicited the response she desired as everyone stopped talking and a strained silence fell upon the crowd.

Looking around, Elsa took a few moments to decide how best to continue. Her royal guard looked torn between their duty to protect the royals of Arendelle and following their orders from Prince Hans. The dignitaries wore expressions of equal parts curiosity and unease. The servants, who had been faithful to the royal family since Elsa was born, looked on with genuine concern.

Taking a deep breath and drawing strength from the red headed girl standing at her side, Elsa began to address the tense assembly, "Please. I understand you are all looking for an explanation, and you deserve one. However, this is neither the time nor the place."

Turning to one of the men, who if Elsa remembered correctly was her guard captain she continued, "Please gather everyone in the palace courtyard so that I may address my citizens properly. In regards to Prince Hans -"

As if the mere mention of his name summoned him, the prince stumbled toward the group, coughing and sputtering water from lungs.

"Guards seize her, that sorceress is dangerous! She killed her sister and threatened me!" he screamed jabbing a soaking wet, gloved finger in Elsa's direction.

"No, she didn't you liar!" Anna shot back at him. "You tricked me and left me to freeze to death, so that you could kill Elsa and be king!" The sweet young girl had disappeared and was quickly replaced with a confidant authority figure. "Arrest _him!_ He will remain in the dungeons until we can send him back to where he came from!" she ordered cheeks red and eyes blazing.

The guards hesitated only for a second, more from shock than anything else before rushing to carry out their princess' command. "NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! SHE IS DANGEROUS!" he howled, kicking and struggling as they dragged him towards the castle.

"I had no idea you had that in you," Elsa said, looking at her sister with such pride Anna began to blush under her gaze and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Me neither," she admitted with a small shrug.

"Come, we mustn't keep our subjects waiting," the young queen said as she began to walk in the direction of the palace. The rest slowly followed behind the royals, mindful not to tread on the snow queen's long, glittering train.

Kristoff and Olaf brought up the rear mounted on Sven's back as they made their own way to the courtyard, knowing it was time to leave the sisters alone for a while.

Arm still entwined with that of her younger sibling, Elsa swallowed her fear and held her head up high, preparing herself for what lay ahead.

Upon reaching the castle the queen began ushering orders to anyone within a 10 foot radius; luckily all the lessons her late father had given her on how to be a ruler came flooding back. Elsa refused all private audiences with the foreign visitors, but assured them that she would hold a formal meeting after she made her public appearance.

To the servants she instructed that baths be drawn for Anna as well as herself and to prepare a room for Kristoff. Lastly, she told her guards to keep an eye on the Duke of Weselton, she was still wary of him even though she'd been assured the men who had attacked her were safely locked away.

Once everyone else was taken care of the young queen finally had a chance to relax some of the cramped muscles in her back as she and Anna walked through the residency wing. Running a kingdom was stressful work; there were more than a few times that she felt the frost creeping to her fingers as one person after another hounded her for answers. If it weren't for an excitable Anna clinging to her body, it would have been very difficult to keep her frigid powers in check.

"Come along your Majesty, Princess, we must get you bathed and dressed before you make your speech," said a handmaid as she tried to separate Anna from her sister's arm.

"No! No!" cried Anna gripping Elsa's arm so tight it became painful and burying her face into the blonde girl's shoulder.

Cerulean blue eyes widening in surprise, the queen looked up apologetically at the maid. "Leave us Gerda, thank you," she said gently.

"Yes, your highness," she nodded knowingly and made her way back downstairs.

"Anna, sweetheart it's alright," she said taking the young girl's chin between her thumb and forefinger so that she was looking directly at Elsa. "I promise to never, ever leave you again. Okay?" her tone becoming more serious as her piercing gaze bore into Anna's. Slowly, the princess nodded her head before hugging her elder sister, pressing her face into the crook of Elsa's neck.

"Well, now that is settled," the blonde said as she pulled away and held her sibling at arm's length, "I think it is time we made ourselves presentable, don't you agree?"

Before Anna could respond the young queen had taken her hand and pulled her into Anna's bedroom.

"Sorry about the mess, I wasn't planning on having visitors," said an obviously embarrassed Anna as she hurriedly started to tidy up her bedroom, which appeared as though a closet had exploded in it. "I don't let Gerda clean up in here anymore; she always puts my stuff where I can't find it."

Elsa raised a hand to her mouth as she tried and failed to suppress the giggle that escaped her lips. "It's fine Anna, really. You go bathe first, while I pick out something for you to wear." Elsa replied looking around and wondering how on earth she would ever find something in this chaos.

"Elsa…?" the princess' shy voice caused the queen to look up from the cluttered floor to her little sister, who was playing nervously with one of her braids. "I know it's stupid, but… I'mworriedthatifIcan'tseeyouyoumightdisappearandIknowyoucan'tcomeintothebathroomwithmesocouldyousing?" she said all at once without taking a single breath.

"Pardon? I didn't quite catch all of that Anna," the puzzled snow queen said, one delicate eyebrow raised.

Sighing, the young girl began again, much slower this time, "I'm – I'm worried that if I can't see you, you might disappear, you know, like it was all a dream or something. So I was wondering …" she paused pushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear, "Since I know you can't come into the bathroom with me … if I left the door open … would you sing? That way I can at least _hear _you," Anna finished, staring at her feet, feeling for all the world like a child.

Elsa probably thought she was being silly, of course she didn't want to sing to her, she was a queen and queens did not sing to their silly little sisters because they were feeling insecure.

"Of course Anna, I would love to," she said before gently guiding her into the bathroom. "Don't take too long, we don't want to keep everyone waiting." But Anna simply planted her feet and looked up at her.

"Sing first," she ordered, crossing her arms over her chest and refusing to budge until Elsa followed through with her request.

Elsa simply shook her head and laughed, she had forgotten how stubborn Anna could be. "Right, right sorry," she took a step back and became thoughtful for a moment before arriving at a decision. Closing her eyes, Elsa took a deep breath before she allowed the melody to flow from her lips.

"_The snow glows white on the mountain tonight._

_Not a footprint to be seen._

_ A kingdom of isolation and it looks like I'm the queen…"_

As she continued to sing the young woman opened her eyes revealing a still unmoving Anna, with an expression of awe glued to her freckled face. Elsa brought her younger sister back to reality as she snapped her fingers and pointed to a large porcelain tub already filled with hot bathwater.

Anna nodded vigorously before dashing into the bathroom, stripping off her dress and sinking into the steaming liquid. Sighing happily as the heat surrounded her, the princess began scrubbing away the dirt and grime from the last few days, all the while listening to Elsa beautiful voice drifting from the adjacent room.

"_Let it go, let it go. And I am one with the wind and sky…"_

Anna scrubbed as fast she could, desperate to get back to her sister. Everything had happened so fast, she was still having trouble believing it was real. They were together again, Elsa bossing her around and laughing at her antics, it was like they had never been apart.

"Okay, I'm done! All squeaky clean!" the red head proclaimed as she slid back into her bedroom, towel wrapped around her thin frame and red hair soaking wet.

"- _cold never bothered me anyway."_

Song complete, Elsa smiled and made her way over to her sister. "Anna, you are dripping all over the floor," she scolded. "I have laid out a dress for you, now put it on and fix your hair. Then you can help _me_ find something suitable to wear. Should I continue singing?" she asked stepping toward the inviting steam pouring through the doorway.

"Yes, please!" replied Anna cheerfully as she turned toward her vanity but stopping when she noticed something was different. "Elsa? Did you clean up in here?"

The clothing that had once littered the floor was now neatly put away in her wardrobe. All her books and knick-knacks arranged perfectly on the shelves. Even her bed was made, Anna couldn't remember a time when her bedroom had been this orderly.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," Elsa said starting up a new tune and disappearing from sight.

"Hmm, not sure how I feel about this," Anna mumbled looking around at her eerily clean room once more before stepping behind her changing curtain.

The dress Elsa had chosen was one of Anna's favourites; the skirt was a lovely shade of lavender trimmed with interlacing golden flowers. The bodice, dyed a deeper shade of violet had the crocus of Arendelle stitched in the center using the same golden thread. Elsa had even laid out a low-cut, white underdress and matching lavender ribbons for her hair.

Anna had just finished putting the final touches on her hairstyle when Elsa emerged from her bath; hair piled on top of her head and a silk robe tied securely around her waist. Anna had opted for a more formal up-do rather than her signature braids, the same one she had used on the day of her sister's coronation.

"Well, what do you think?" the princess asked holding her arms up at her sides and giving her sister a twirl.

"You look beautiful, Anna," the queen answered fondly. "You always do."

"You look beautifuller," she countered with wink, blush creeping up her neck. "Now, what are _you_ going to wear?" Anna said thoughtfully, scrunching up her face and tapping a finger on her cheek. "We better go and check your dresses," she asserted before grabbing her elder sibling by the hand and marching towards the door. However, she did not get far when Elsa yelped and abruptly pulled her back.

"Anna, I can't go out there, I am not decent!"

"Relax, Elsa, no one is going to see you," the younger royal said rolling her eyes.

"It is not proper for a queen to walk through the halls in nothing but a bathing robe," the blonde said matter-of-factly, causing Anna to roll her eyes a second time. "I'll just wear one of yours."

"Oh come on, Elsa. It's just around the corner. I will be your look out," before Elsa could argue further the young princess flung open the door, checked that the coast was clear and sprinted to Elsa's room, dragging the queen in her wake.

However, when she reached the tall white door, Anna froze; memories of this very same door repeatedly shut in her face came flooding to her head, rendering her immobile.

"Hurry!" Elsa hissed eyes darting up and down the hall as the temperature began to drop. "Anna, what are you waiting for?"

"I – I - ," she stuttered before an anxiety ridden queen grabbed the handle and shoved her inside.

"I never, ever want to do that again," Elsa shuddered, arms wrapped tight around her, but Anna wasn't listening.

She was too busy examining the foreign room in which she stood. The young princess had never been inside her sister's personal chambers before; Elsa had simply not allowed it. It was much larger than Anna's own room, a four poster bed occupied one corner and a wooden desk, covered in important looking papers, filled another. A large window and fireplace kept the area well lit and warm, while a small dining table flanked by two large, plush chairs sat in the centre of a soft blue and white rug. Overall, it was a rather ordinary space, cozy even; Anna was slightly disappointed. The girl had dreamed of finally gaining accesses to this very same room for so long that she expected … more.

"When you are done staring into space could you please go find something for me to wear," Elsa said sitting down at her vanity and looking at her younger sister's reflection in the mirror. Blue eyes full of amusement as she ran a comb through her ivory hair.

"Hmm? Oh right, yea," waking from her daydream Anna practically skipped over to the large wardrobe that dominated the wall opposite her, next to an equally impressive bookcase. "Wow, Elsa there sure are a lot of books in here," she said running her hands over the large tombs that crammed the shelves, many of which looked extremely boring.

"Yes, well, one does not learn to be a politician overnight," she shrugged. "Besides, I have found that I rather enjoy reading, it is nice to escape from one's responsibilities for a while." The queen stated as she began to work her unruly hair into a tight, braided bun.

"If you say so," Anna replied turning her attention back to the wardrobe and her job of locating a proper outfit. "What about this one?" she called after a few minutes.

Elsa turned to see her sister holding up an elaborate, black and crimson dress complete with a seven foot long train. "I don't think so, a little too over the top," she replied returning to her previous task.

"Finnnne," she whined in a very un-princess like fashion, discarding the rejected article and diving back into the closet. "Ooo la la! What is this!?"

Hearing the smile in her younger sister's voice the blonde woman looked up as Anna pulled a bright yellow gown that was clearly much too large for Elsa, from the depths of her wardrobe.

"That? That was a gift."

"From whom?" Anna giggled.

"Some official from some country, I can't remember," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand having successfully wrestled her hair into submission.

"Did they think you were a whale? This thing is _huge_, you would barely fit through the doorway!" she said bursting into fits of laughter.

"Ha. Ha." Elsa answered flatly, bending over to pick up the dress Anna had tossed on the floor. "To be fair, he had never met me before. Now, stop goofing around and help me."

Still laughing the redhead returned the ugly dress to its original place and resumed her search. After fumbling through, what appeared to be every single item of clothing Elsa owned, Anna ripped one of the dresses off the hanger squealing in childish delight, "Here we go, perfect!"

It bore a striking resemblance to the one Elsa had worn at her coronation ceremony, with a few minor differences. Both the bodice and skirt were a pale shade of blue trimmed with silver ribbon. Along with Anna's own dress this one also bore the crest of Arendelle sewn into the fabric. However, mother-of-pearl beading replaced the golden thread used to make the design on the younger girl's gown.

Elsa nodded her approval and took the garment along with a navy blue underdress behind a changing curtain. She hummed to herself as she changed, still mindful of Anna's earlier admission.

Stepping out from behind the divider she turned to examine herself in the adjacent full-length mirror, "Hmm, it's missing something … yes, definitely missing something."

"What are you talking about?" said an incredulous Anna. "You look amazing, you're being s- Oh!" she gasped clapping her hands together as Elsa brought both hands down her front. Ice danced from the woman's long fingers and spread along her skirt creating a beautiful pattern of swirling snowflakes. Next, she closed one of her hands and when she opened it again, a snowflake the size of a large coin rested in her palm. Carefully picking it up, she placed the frozen broach at the base of her throat.

"There, much better," Elsa said admiring her handiwork. "Oh, I almost forgot," she said suddenly, pointing to her head. Wrinkling her nose in concentration, a small tiara materialized among her platinum locks.

Anna thought she had never seen something so wonderful; it looked as if someone had taken an ice sculpture of a snowflake and sawed it in half. Catching the summer sun that flooded through the window it glittered splendidly as every colour imaginable danced among the frozen fractals.

"Oh, Elsa…" Anna breathed, a dreamy look on her face.

"Where would the Snow Queen be without her crown?" Elsa asked with a small giggle.

A small knock at the door caused both the sisters to look up, "Your Majesty? They are ready for you," said a man's voice from the hallway.

"Thank you, Kai, we shall be out in a moment." Elsa responded, her stomach full of butterflies and her heart pounding in her chest.

"Very good, your Majesty," he replied.

When his footsteps faded away the queen turned to her little sister, trying to not to let her face reflect the growing fear that bubbled in her chest. She was betrayed by her magic however, when the room grew a little colder and frost began to form beneath her slippers.

"It's going to be fine." Anna said reassuringly linking their arms once more and placing a kiss on Elsa's cheek. The queen had to physically stop herself from flinching away from her sister's sudden touch; a small part of her was still terrified she would hurt Anna.

Instead, Anna's warmth helped Elsa relax enough that the frost and cold immediately disappeared. Even though she now understood _how_ to control her powers, Elsa had come to realize that it may still take some time to put that knowledge into practice.

"Thank you," Elsa said giving her sister one last adoring look before raising her head high and pulling her shoulders back. "Here we go."

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**After seeing the deleted dressing room scene I just had to put it in, it is just too cute! Also, the part where Anna refuses to move until Elsa has already started to sing was inspired by gif set where Elsa will not thaw the U.S. until she receives her "Oscar First."**

**The next one may take some time as I am wrestling a bit with the dialogue so bare with me.**


	3. Chapter 3

"Queen Elsa and Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

Kai's voice rang loudly through the palace courtyard, directing everyone's attention to the two women standing on the balcony high above them. Elsa was barely recognizable in her 'Snow Queen' outfit; she had looked beautiful at the coronation but today she was stunning. Sparkling in the dying summer sun, she was so poised and elegant it was hard not to fall under her spell.

The entire kingdom had gathered to hear Elsa's speech, the growing crowd became so densely packed that it was almost impossible to move more than a few feet in any direction. Children climbed onto their parent's shoulders in an effort to get a better view of the queen and princess. All were curious to see if the rumors were true regarding their elusive monarch; did she really have magical powers that had unintentionally caused the freezing of summer?

"Citizens of Arendelle," Elsa addressed the large crowd, heart hammering against her ribcage as she gazed out at the sea of faces below her. She had held formal meetings before but this was the first time she'd had to stand in front of so many people. "I would like begin by offering my sincerest apologies for any undue suffering I may have caused, as well as deserting you in your time of need. Please know that all I did, I did for one very important reason." Elsa suddenly grew very solemn, "I took an oath that day you crowned me as your queen, and it is an oath that I will remain faithful to until very the end of my days. I vowed to protect every man, woman, and child within my kingdom at any and all costs. And it was because of that vow I had to leave."

Her words left more than few of the villagers confused; _what did running off into the mountains have to do with keeping Arendelle safe? Didn't the snow only begin to fall _after_ she had fled?_ Even Anna, who knew part of the reason behind her sister's disappearance, was hearing this side of Elsa's story for the first time.

"For reasons I do not understand, I was born with the power to create ice and snow," the moment the words passed her lips Elsa felt an immense weight lift from her body. Although people had already _seen_ her powers it was the very first time she had actually _told_ anyone about them and she felt… free.

But it was different from the freedom she had felt back at her ice palace and at first she couldn't figure out why, but suddenly the realization struck her like a bolt of lightning. Elsa could be herself _and_ be with those she loved, without the constant fear of hurting them looming over her.

"When I was young there was an accident involving my magic ... it was from then on that my parents and I decided it would be best if I were to isolate myself. Keeping my powers hidden until the day I could control them. And for thirteen years I did just that. I believed that the only way to keep my 'abilities' under control was by suppressing them deep within me. As time went on and my magic grew so did my fear of the harm they were capable of. Although the battle to subdue my magic became increasingly difficult, I knew that it was my duty as your future queen to at least try. I realized my efforts had been in vain the moment the ice slipped from my grasp that night of my coronation. The very thing I had worked so long to prevent was true; I was a danger to Arendelle. So, I did what I believed was necessary to protect my people: I ran. It was not until later that I was made aware of the storm I had left behind."

When no one accused her of being a witch or a demon and no one ran from her in terror, Elsa decided it was safe to continue, "My whole life I have searched for the answer of how to control my magic and I am relieved to announce, that day has finally arrived. Over the years I had grown to hate my powers and subsequently myself. I had seen first-hand the danger they presented and it terrified me. I didn't realize that as long as I lived in fear of my powers I was destined to be ruled by them. But recently I was reminded that love, above all else, will conquer fear. Through this lesson, I now know that in order to control my powers I must first learn to accept them."

Elsa paused and gave Anna a quick glance out of the corner of her eye. The girl had tears in her eyes and was staring at Elsa like she was seeing clearly for the first time.

Everything, her entire childhood now made perfect sense.

Tearing her gaze away, Elsa focused her attention back to her people. "I stand before you now not as your queen, but as nothing more than what any of us are; human. I feel pain, I have hopes and dreams, and I make mistakes the same as you. And it is because of those mistakes I have called you all here today. I put every one of you in a great deal of danger and there are no words to express how deeply and absolutely sorry I am for what happened, intentional or not," Elsa said. Her voice cracking as guilty tears surfaced in her eyes, but she quickly pushed that away and looked deep inside herself to draw on the confidence she had found on the North Mountain.

"If you allow me to do so, I promise to spend the rest of my reign making it up to you. I will spend every day striving to be the queen that you need, the queen that you _deserve._ The palace gates have been re-opened and will remain that way, so that anyone in need of assistance from the royal family will receive it. I know that I am young and untested, but I give you my word I will work tirelessly to grow Arendelle into the kingdom I know it can be. All I ask in return is that you accept me for who I am: Elsa, a woman forged from winter, wielder of magic and ruling monarch of Arendelle."

At first there was only silence. Time stood still for Elsa and she began to panic. _They're too scared, they don't want me back. Oh God, what if they come after me, or worse, they could hurt Anna. I shouldn't have done this._ She could feel the magic swirling within her rising to the surface. However, she was able to keep it under her command by holding one thing in her mind; _I can use my powers to keep Anna safe…if I have to._ She had begun searching for an escape when she heard it.

"All hail Queen Elsa!"

"Yes, long live the Queen!"

The shouts were soon picked up by the rest of the crowd until entire courtyard echoed with voices raised as one to praise their ruler; a woman who had acted with wisdom beyond her years and had been willing to sacrifice everything for the well-being of her subjects.

It did not escape her notice that not everyone cheered; some looked on with disapproving eyes and a few of the dignitaries looked very unhappy indeed. She decided to deal with that later as warmth the likes of which she had never felt before spread through Elsa's entire body. It filled her from the tips of her toes to very top of her head. The smile that lit up her face stretched from one ear to the other and tears sprang to her eyes once more. Overwhelmed, Elsa swept her gaze across her subjects and she remembered something her late father had once told her during one of their lessons.

"_Elsa, when we wear the crown we become the caretaker of our people. You must earn their respect, their trust. And above all you must love them so that they may love you in return."_

Elsa had been young then and did not fully grasp what he had meant at the time, but as a mother-like affection bloomed in her chest she finally understood.

_My people, my children._

Raising both of her hands Elsa called for quiet once more. "There is one more thing that I would like to address before you return to your homes. And that is the matter of our princess." Elsa said as she turned and stretched a long pale arm in the direction of a still teary eyed Anna.

"Wait, what? Me?" said the incredulous redhead looking from her sister to the people below and back again.

"My sister has displayed determination, compassion, and incredible courage. Risking life and limb to bring me home and believing in me when I did not believe in myself. If not for Anna, I would have remained on that mountain; too afraid to return and ignorant of the damage I had caused," Elsa announced glowing with pride.

Anna on the other hand, was shifting uncomfortably beside the queen face and neck turning a deep red as she brushed some hair behind her ears. Feeling the crushing weight hundreds of eyes resting on her, Anna suddenly felt very grateful she was just a princess who was not expected to do this kind of thing on a regular basis.

"It is thanks to her unfailing love that I was able to learn the secret of mastering my powers and end the eternal winter. I think I speak for everyone when I say we will forever be in your debt, Anna. You have saved Arendelle … and me," she added softly so that only Anna could hear giving her a small smile. "In seven days time, Arendelle will be holding a grand celebration in honor of our heroic princess, to which you are all be invited. Food and drink will be provided for everyone and the palace will play host to a _proper_ ball. It shall be an all-day affair so that we may celebrate someone whose loyalty knows no bounds, whose love is endless, and without whom we would all be lost. Princess Anna of Arendelle!"

The roar that erupted from the townspeople was deafening. Cries of, "Hooray for Princess Anna!" and "Bless you, Princess!" could be heard amid the applause. Half laughing, half crying Anna waved shyly at the cheering crowd. She had started looking for Kristoff when she felt Elsa's cool hand take her own.

"Thank you, Anna," Elsa said ice blue eyes full of warmth and affection. "I couldn't have done it without you."

Happy tears streamed down her face as Anna wrapped her arms around her sister's slender waist. Feeling the woman return the embrace she whispered, "I missed you so much, Elsa."

The two of them remained that way for a time, reveling in the nearness of one another after having been apart for so long. When they finally released one another the queen hooked one arm through Anna's and turned to wave at the still cheering crowd. Quickly wiping her eyes Anna followed her sister's example.

"Your Majesty, I implore you to see reason. Prince Hans is _royalty_," begged the ambassador of Dunnshire.

For the last hour he had ranted and raved about how Elsa did not have the authority to imprison Hans without a proper trial. His country had very strong ties to the Southern Isles so it made sense that he was speaking on behalf of its youngest Prince.

Movement near Elsa's left elbow caught her attention and she realized the girl sitting next to her was trembling in anger. Anna had not taken no for an answer when the blonde told her she could not sit in on the meeting with all the important visitors. After all she would only be gone for a few hours. It was not until Anna was practically in tears that Elsa finally gave in, warning her that if she were to behave inappropriately the queen would be forced to have her removed. For the first hour and a half Anna had been a perfect lady, sitting silently beside her sister and politely answering any questions directed her way. However, when they had reached the topic of Hans, Elsa could see her resolve begin to chip away.

The woman couldn't really blame the princess; she herself found that her own patience was wearing thin the longer the ambassador rambled on. The rest of assembly, even if they did not approve of her decisions, at least treated her with respect. But this man acted like she was just some flighty woman, unfit to lead anyone.

"The man manipulated my sister and tried to kill me. What would you have me do?" she asked keeping her voice even and face impassive.

"You have no proof of any of these accusations! You are being ridiculous; this is a blatant misuse of power! I demand that the Prince be released until a trial can be carried out!" he said slamming down a large fist, his face turning beet red.

Elsa sighed, resting her hands on the large mahogany table in front of her, pressing her fingertips together and closed her eyes. She was tired and had come to realize she had not eaten anything that day causing her stomach to clench painfully.

"Arendelle's laws clearly state that the punishment for attempted regicide is punishable by death without trial. The way I see it I am being very merciful toward the prince. In regard to evidence against him, Anna witnessed –"

"That's another thing! Are you now making it common practice to put the word of a silly little girl over that of a decorated soldier and prince? How do we even know she is telling the truth?" the moment he said the words the man knew he'd gone too far.

Elsa's eyes had snapped open and the temperature dropped significantly. Everyone in the room grew extremely nervous as they looked back and forth between her and the ambassador. The queen rose silently, never breaking eye contact with the man and he gave an audible swallow.

When she finally spoke her voice was calm but that only made her appear more dangerous, "I consider myself a patient woman, sir. I have endured your disrespectful attitude and ill-manners all night and as far as I am concerned you may abuse me all you like. But _never_ insult my sister in front of me." Elsa said not bothering to conceal the frost that crackled around her fingers which were still pressed firmly on the table; something that did not escape the ambassador's notice. "That _'silly little girl'_ saved you from freezing to death … you would do well to remember that," she said daring him to argue with her. The man simply nodded his reply face drained of all colour.

Returning her attention back to the rest of the room she continued, "As for the matter of Prince Hans, he will remain in the dungeons until I can commission a ship and return him to his family, should the Southern Isles wish to hold a trial for the prince at that time I will not stop them. I bear no ill will toward his kin but Hans himself is no longer welcome in this kingdom and that is my final say on the matter. Now, if you will excuse me it is getting late and it has been a trying day for all of us. You are all welcome to stay in Arendelle for as long as you need and I personally invite each of you to join us at my sister's celebration. If there is anything else you require please inform my staff and I will be more than happy to assist you in any way that I can." Good evening." She said bowing her head slightly.

"Good evening, your Majesty," was the collective response as the politicians rose from their seats and bowed low in return.

Elsa turned with all the elegance that came from years of training and with slow, even steps strode through the large double doors behind her. Anna followed at her sister's heels but not before shooting the ambassador one last icy glare.

"Wow, Elsa! That was so awesome! You were all like, 'Grrr I'm the Snow Queen!' and he was all like, 'eek please forgive me, your Royal Highness, don't turn me into an icicle!' you are seriously the coolest sister ever." Anna was bouncing around the queen like an excited puppy as they made their way to the kitchens.

"Yes, well I'm glad you think so," Elsa said pursing her lips. She was unsure if her actions had been appropriate, Elsa did not want to make enemies at court nor did she want to scare anyone with her powers. _No,_ she thought to herself _he cannot talk about Anna like that and I need them to respect me_.

"Your Majesty!" called a familiar voice as a portly manservant came trotting toward the two royals.

"Yes Kai, what is the matter?" Elsa asked praying that it was not some other official come to drag her away again.

"The ice harvester you spoke of has arrived with his moose and is looking for you and the princess."

"Sven is a reindeer," Anna corrected matter-of-factly.

"Apologies, m'lady. Reindeer. Also, Majesty – I am not sure how to say this – he is also in the company of what appears to be, well…," the man looked very flustered as he tried to find the right words to say without sounding like a madman.

"Living snowman?" Elsa asked surprising the butler. "It is alright, Kai, I created Olaf during my absence, although I admit I did not realize I had brought him to life." She smiled to herself as she remembered the wonder she had felt upon seeing the little snowman of her childhood alive for the first time. "Please show Kristoff to his room so that he may freshen up before joining us for dinner and take Sven to the stables. Please inform the stable hands that he is to be given the very best care - "

"And carrots! He loves carrots!" Anna exclaimed suddenly shooting a single arm up in the air.

Nodding Elsa resumed her directions, "See that our ice harvester is comfortable; he and his friend are my personal guests for their services to the crown."

"Very good highness, and the snowman?" he asked.

The question threw Elsa for a moment. What _was_ she going to do with the snowman? Did she give him a room? Did he even need to sleep? _I should know this I made him for goodness sake._ She couldn't very well let him roam the kingdom, at least not yet, a sentient pile of snow may be unnerving to some. "I will make arrangements for him after dinner. That is all, Kai, you may go."

After bowing first to Elsa then to Anna, the manservant hurried off to carry out the queen's wishes. The blonde smiled as she watched him leave. Kai had been with the royal family since before Elsa was born and, besides Gerda, he was the only other person who had known about her secret. When her parents died they had stepped in as her support, helping to keep Anna away when Elsa was most vulnerable.

"Come on Elsa, I'm starving! I wonder what Viktor has made for dinner. Scratch that, I wonder what is for dessert. I hope its chocolate related. Oh I'm so excited for you to meet Kristoff. I mean I know you already met him you didn't really meet, meet him. He is a bit weird but don't worry he _loves_ ice, he was practically crying when he saw your castle and -"

Elsa raised a hand to cover her mouth and gave a small chuckle as she listened to Anna chatter on, bouncing from one topic to another. God how she had missed her, so full of warmth and energy; it was true that they had still seen each other occasionally during family meals and on the rare occasion Elsa left her bedroom to roam the castle. However, any interaction was brief and formal, strangers living in the same house.

As soon as the girls rounded the corner they were met with cloud of delicious smells that made Elsa's mouth water and stomach growl angrily.

"Wow Elsa, you must be hungry too!" Anna laughed. "Ugh that smells soooo good," she sighed skipping ahead and throwing open the dining room doors.

The royals had opted to eat in the smaller of the two dining halls; this one was specially designed to fit just the royal family while the other was used to hold lavish feasts or at least it did before the gates had been shut. There was a decently sized table that could easily fit six people but was currently only set for four and a fireplace that blazed merrily across from it. A single waitress stood next to the table, curtsying as the queen and the princess walked in. Naturally, Elsa sat at the head of the table while Anna sat in the seat to her right. Once the women had taken their seats the servant girl poured Elsa a glass of wine and Anna a glass of water.

"Thank you, Helen," Elsa said politely as the girl finished filling Anna's cup.

She gave another curtsy and left through the servant's door into the kitchens.

"Why don't I get any wine?" Anna whined as she watched her sister take a sip.

"Because you are not old enough yet," she replied simply and trying not to laugh as Anna flopped back in her seat pouting dramatically. "Anna, please sit up. If it means that much to you, you can have a _small_ sip of mine," she said handing the cup to the princess.

Elsa knew she was indulging Anna but the queen found that it was very difficult to say no to the girl after all she had put her through. Elsa had a feeling that redhead was about become the most spoiled little sister in Arendelle, which may not entirely be a good thing considering Elsa was also her disciplinarian.

"Really?! Thanks, Elsa! What does it taste like?" Anna said taking what was definitely more than just a small sip and her eyes grew twice their normal size. Slamming Elsa's glass down on the table she began waving her arms and started looking around frantically.

"Anna, don't you dare spit out that wine!" Elsa said shooting her a dangerous look.

"Mmmmf," came the strangled reply. Scrunching up her face in concentration Anna struggled to keep the beverage in her mouth but eventually was able to choke it down. After which she immediately grabbed her water and drained the entire glass. "How the heck do you drink that stuff? It tastes awful!" she said pushing the remaining wine as far away from her as possible.

"I did tell you to take a small sip and it's more of an acquired taste," Elsa said even though she herself did not enjoy wine very much, alcohol in general in fact. She had never liked the idea of anything that had the potential to muddle her mind and weaken her hold on her already unruly powers. When she did drink it was mostly for show and more often than not it was watered down.

"Kristoff Bjorgman and Olaf … the snowman," announced Kai as he opened the doors revealing a very nervous looking Kristoff and excited Olaf.

"Uh thanks," he mumbled walking over to where the queen and princess sat.

The ice harvester had changed into some fresh clothes; a simple white, linen shirt and black riding pants. His boots however, remained the same. As he approached the table both the queen and the princess rose. Anna had a goofy grin on her face while the queen gave him a small, albeit warm smile. He felt his mouth go dry when he saw Anna up close. She looked so beautiful in her dress with the low neckline; making his cheeks flush when he saw the freckles that dotted her collarbone. _Keep it together, Bjorgman._

"Hi, guys!" cried an exuberant Olaf as he skipped over to the table and sat in the seat beside the princess. "I saw your speech, Elsa. It was so nice, I cried three whole times," he said proudly.

"Thank you Olaf," she said. "Please take a seat, Kristoff, dinner should be along shortly," Elsa said gesturing to the chair to the chair on her left, facing Anna.

Sure enough, the second the mountain man sat down the food was served. It was the best looking meal Kristoff had seen in his entire life; smoked Arendellian trout with herbs served with golden potatoes and fresh green beans. For a while they sat in awkward silence each in their own private thoughts as they ate, occasionally Kristoff would steal a glance at the woman across from him, unable to help himself from watching her lips as she chewed.

Elsa was the first to break the silence, "So, Kristoff are you originally from Arendelle?"

Kristoff almost choked on his bite of fish, terrified the queen had seen him starring. "Well… I'm not exactly sure where I'm from to tell you the truth," he said with a shrug, unable to keep eye contact. What was it about this woman that terrified him so much? _She is Anna's sister._ "My parents died when I was really young and the other ice harvesters took me in for a while before I was adopted by my current family."

"He was adopted by trolls, Elsa! Can you believe that? Trolls," Anna said excitedly.

"Yeah! We thought he was crazy because they look just like rocks!" Olaf chimed in.

Elsa went stiff and dropped the fork she had been about to bring to her mouth causing the potato it held to roll across the table. Her mind flashed back to that night. An unconscious Anna lying in her mother's arms shivering from the icy blast Elsa had accidentally shot at her head. _No! Anna's here, she is safe. Calm down._

"What did you say?" she whispered her voice shaking.

"I said Kristoff was raised by trolls," she said slowly. "Elsa, are you alright?" the princess was becoming increasingly worried as watched the queen hug herself tightly.

It was a long time before Elsa finally spoke. "How long have you known?" Elsa said eyes never leaving her plate.

Kristoff instinctively knew she was talking to him. There was no sense in lying to the queen; she was bound to have figured it out sooner or later. "Ever since your … visit. It was actually you and your parents that led me to the valley in the first place."

"And you never told anyone?"

He shrugged in reply and rubbed the back of his neck. "It wasn't any of my business, I doubt anyone would have believed me anyway," the man said unable to bring himself to look anywhere but the cup in his hand.

"Thank you. That means more to me than you could ever know," she said quietly.

"Okay what are you guys talking about!?" said a very confused Anna. Everyone was avoiding her gaze, except for Olaf who was looking at everyone at once.

"Why do you look so sad, Elsa? Do you need a hug?" said the snowman asked hopefully.

Ignoring her creation's question the queen rose from her chair and made her way over to the fireplace. She then proceeded to stare into the flames lost in thought for what seemed like an eternity. "Kristoff, Olaf, would you give me a few moments alone with my sister?" she said.

"Uh yeah sure, no problem," Kristoff said hurriedly. Relieved that he would be able to escape the awkward situation he had unwillingly created. After shooting Anna one last apologetic look he walked through the doors out and into the hall with a stricken looking Olaf in his wake.

"Elsa, what's going on? You're scaring me."

"Anna, there is something I need to tell you, something I have wanted to tell you for a very long time. I had hoped that it could wait but …" she sighed straightening her back and clasping her hands behind her. _Maybe if don't look at her this will be easier._ "Do you remember when I mentioned there had been an accident regarding my powers earlier today?"

"Yeeeaaaah," Anna said looking very intensely at the back of her sister's head.

"You weren't always ignorant of my powers; in fact you were the one who loved them most of all. One night we were playing in the ballroom and I made it snow for you, it always made you so happy when I used my magic," she said bringing her shaking hands in front of her. "We were playing a game when I slipped and hit you in the head with my … my …" She couldn't bring herself to say the words.

"You hit me with your powers?" Anna finished for her. Elsa just nodded slowly. "Why don't I remember any of this?" she said searching her memory for any traces of the event but all she found were images of the two of them giggling in the palace gardens as they built their snowy friend.

"Mother and Father brought you to the only creatures that had any real understanding of magic: the trolls … and apparently Kristoff's family. They cured you, but it required removing every trace of magic from your mind, including memories of it. We were all so afraid that it would happen again that father thought it would be for the best if we concealed my powers from everyone until I could control them … even you," Elsa said as her shoulders sagged. "I had hoped that it would only take a year or two to learn how to master my power, and then we could be together again. I tried so very hard, practicing every day but they only got stronger and I got more dangerous," she said bitterly.

"Why didn't you tell me later, when I was older? Did Mama and Papa really not trust me that much?" she said sounding so hurt that it caused Elsa to feel physical pain.

"No, no Anna. It was never like that," she said finally turning around and kneeling beside her sister who looked very close to tears.

"Mother and Father wanted to tell you when they realized that I wasn't getting anywhere by myself. I was so angry and scared all the time that they thought your cheering me up would help … but I wouldn't let them," she said, voice full of guilt and tears swirling in her eyes.

"What?! Why not?" Anna cried searching the queen's face for any hint of an answer.

"I couldn't let you see me that way. I was terrified that if you found out before I could control it you would be afraid of me, think I was … a monster, which would have destroyed me. Yet I wouldn't have blamed you if you did. I had hurt you; my little sister … my best friend," she finally choked out before collapsing into Anna's lap, sobbing uncontrollably for the third time that day. Elsa was surprised she had any tears left, but here she was leaving a stain on Anna's skirts.

"...I forgive you."

Elsa's head jerked up at Anna's words. She had not expected that, "What? No, Anna, you should be angry with me. I made your life miserable all because I was too selfish to tell you the truth," she said baffled that Anna had forgiven her so quickly.

"Elsa, you did all that stuff because you wanted to protect me, you spent all that time alone and scared. You were willing to sacrifice your own happiness just to keep me safe, which I am pretty sure is the exact opposite of selfish," the princess said smiling.

The young queen stared up at her in amazement. How this goofy, brash, young girl could be so unbelievably understanding was beyond her.

"By the way, Elsa, I don't know where you get the idea that I would find you scary. So you have wintery powers, big deal, I once smashed a giant snowman in the face with a tree."

Elsa laughed, a real laugh, not the proper little giggles she sometimes allowed herself. The queen had forgotten how wonderful it felt. When she was finally able to catch her breath the young woman stood up, using the table for support. "All this crying is exhausting," she said dabbing at her eyes. "Go fetch Olaf and Kristoff so that we can finish eating. I think that I will need to go to bed soon."

"Your wish is my command, your Majesty," Anna said jumping up and bowing low in front of her sister before running to fetch the boys.

Elsa could only laugh and roll her eyes. _Wise Anna has left the building._

* * *

**Well there it is … **_**finally**_

**It took forever to get the dialogue to sound even remotely plausible especially in the speech. A portion of which was inspired by post/67748245525/elsa-protector-of-this-dominion-one-of-the simply because I think she hit the nail on the head with Elsa's character. The part with Anna and the wine was loosely based on my lovely beta's oneshot 'Wine' its one of my favourites._  
_**

**This chapter is mostly about what I think Elsa's childhood was like. I decided to put a more positive spin on how her parents handled the situation; as frightened parents that just wanted the best for their girls instead of prison guards.**

**I also interpreted "love will thaw" as being more of 'love yourself for who you are' type of love, because Elsa always knew what love was (she loved her parents and sister) but her powers seemed to be the most unstable after she found out they were dangerous and subsequently made her scared of them.**

**I hope you liked it!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you to those who sent me reviews you are probably the sole reason I had this done so quickly :)**

**I am unsure when the next chapter will be going up because I have a shit storm of school related horror coming my way, so I apologize in advance.**

**As always a big thank you to my awesome beta ATHPluver.**

***new* have added a few tiny edits, mostly in the nightmare section**

* * *

Elsa had to suppress a groan as she looked up the three flights of stairs that lead to the residency wing where the royal bedrooms were located. After finishing dinner, which became much more relaxed after her …confession, the four had decided it was time to turn in for the night.

Before they left, the queen had a chat with Olaf about staying inside the castle grounds and away from the villagers. At first he was disappointed but once she explained it was only until the celebration, where she would introduce him properly, he became so happy that his hug threw her off-balance. The snowman then decided he wanted to keep Sven company and skipped off flashing the trio a toothy grin and waving his twig arm goodbye.

The queen was exhausted, the last seventy-two hours had been an endless emotional hurricane. She was really looking forward to slipping beneath the covers of her bed and resting her tired eyes, but first she had to get there. So Elsa began the slow steady climb up the spiral staircase, using the railing heavily for support, every muscle screaming at her in protest. Anna and Kristoff trailed after her with the princess relaying stories about how she would often slide down the banister to save time and occasionally pointing out a favourite painting.

Kristoff was only half listening to the red head; he was too busy admiring how adorable she was. Limbs gesturing wildly as she spoke and he'd never seen a person make so many varied facial expressions in one sentence before. He found himself inexplicably drawn to her and it frightened him a little.

Due to his occupation the man had never really had a lot of human interaction, least of all with women. He has no idea how to act around them let alone one he had feelings for, a _princess_ he had feelings for. Was he even allowed feel this way about Anna? She was royalty and he was just a common ice harvester.

_This is going to be complicated._

"Kristoff are you even listening to me?" Anna asked placing her hands on her hips. They had reached the second landing which housed the guest rooms.

"Huh? Yeah, you used to hide in the parlour," he said shaking the thoughts from his head.

"I said I used to _slide_ in the parlour and I got very good at it thank you very much," she stated a little smugly. The princess then became very shy and bit her lip as she looked up at him. "Good night Kristoff, I'll see you in the morning right?" she said blushing.

"Uh sure, of course," he said rubbing his neck and turning a little red himself. His heart was beating so hard he thought it might burst from his chest. She actually wanted him to stay!

When the two simply stood there, each avoiding the other's gaze and blushing profusely, Elsa decided to step in. "Good evening, Kristoff. I hope you find everything to your liking. If you need anything please do not hesitate to ask," she said earnestly.

"Thank you, your Majesty," he said dropping his gazing and bowing.

"Come along Anna, let's not keep Mr. Bjorgman from his rest," Elsa said before turning back to the herculean task of making it to her bedroom in one piece.

Flashing him one last smile Anna waved to the mountain man before running to catch up with her sister.

All Kristoff could do was stare after her, a dreamy smile on his face and one hand raised in farewell. It wasn't until she vanished from sight that he was able to tear his eyes away and slowly make his way to the room set aside for him.

"Elsa?"

"Hmmm?" came the queen's sleepy reply, concealing a yawn as they stood in front of Anna's bedroom about to depart for the evening.

"Could I … I mean, would it be okay if… I um… I slept with you tonight? I don't want to be alone just yet…" She trailed off, embarrassed.

"Of course you can," she said gently, cupping one of Anna's cheeks in her hand. She had been secretly hoping Anna would ask to stay with her. The queen knew she would not be getting much sleep if the girl was not nearby to remind Elsa that she wasn't still locked in ice.

"It'll be a regular girl's night," Elsa said giving her a wink.

The princess' face lit up and clapped her hands squealing in delight.

"What's your favourite colour?" Anna asked popping another chocolate into her mouth and leaning against her sister's legs. The girls had changed into their night clothes and were now sitting on Elsa's bed eating her secret stash of candy and asking each other questions. The girls discovered that they didn't really know each other very well and were determined to fix it.

"Violet. What about you?" she said resting against the headboard and playing with Anna's hair; braiding it before combing it out with her fingers.

"Hmm, I guess if I had to pick one I would say green, but I like all the colours," she answered, feeling her eye lids getting heavy. "Do you have any hobbies? I personally like sliding in my socks and dancing. Oh, and horseback riding!"

"I suppose I have always enjoyed needlework and sketching. Geometry was my favourite subject in lessons and you already know that I do fair bit of reading."

"A _fair_ bit?" she scoffed. "Elsa you have more books in here then I have freckles. I think it is safe to say that you do a lot more than a 'fair' bit of reading"

"Very funny," she said giving the princess' hair a playful tug. "Your friend Kristoff is very handsome isn't he?" she teased as a wicked smile spread across her face, causing Anna to start choking. Laughing, Elsa started to pat the girl on the back to help dislodge the treat from her windpipe.

"What!? Yeah maybe, I guess. If you like that sorta thing," the red haired girl stammered cheeks burning.

"Well, he most certainly likes you. I caught him staring more than once during dinner," she said.

"Oh Elsa, you really think so?! I was worried I was just imagining things. Olaf seems to think that he loves me, but we all know what happened the last time I 'fell in love,'" she said using her fingers as quotations. "We've only know each other for three days! I definitely feel something for him but I don't what it is. How the heck do you know that you love someone!? I mean, I know I love you but that is different … ugh this is so frustrating!" she moaned burying her face in her hands.

"I wish I could give you some advice, Anna, but I'm afraid I am not very well versed in matters of the heart. A crippling anxiety of being around people can have that effect on a person. The only men I have ever dealt with are quite a bit older than I am, although father did once try to persuade me to meet a few suitors." Frowning as she recalled the one time she had ever really fought with her father. It wasn't that Elsa didn't want to find love but she was just so scared of hurting someone that the thought of allowing another person close to her like that left the queen-to-be sick with fear.

"I'm sorry. I am not a very good big sister am I?" she sighed hugging her knees.

"Don't say that Elsa, you're a great big sister! You practically gave that ambassador a heart attack because he was mean to me! Man the look on his face was priceless!" she said sitting up and smiling cheerfully at her sister.

Anna's grin was infectious as the queen grew one of own. "Thank you, but back to the subject of you and Kristoff; we will have to think of a way that he can court you without causing a scandal. It is generally not acceptable for a commoner to actively seek out the affections of a princess. I don't think it will be too difficult to raise his social status since he has done so much for the both of us but to what I have no idea. Duke or Baron would probably be too much but maybe knighthood wouldn't raise too many questions," she pondered out loud.

"Haha! Sir Kristoff Bjorgman. I bet he would hate that," she giggled. Anna was ecstatic that her sister approved of Kristoff and that she was actively going out of her way to support their budding relationship.

At the same time she was lingering on what her sister had said about not knowing anything about relationships. The princess realized that she was just starting to scratch the surface of just how much the queen had given up the day she barricaded herself in this room.

"Hey, Elsa?" she said breaking the queen's train of thought. "Do you mind if I ask you some questions about our childhood? There are still some things that I don't get. But it's okay if you don't want to," Anna added quickly.

The question caught Elsa off guard, her past was still very raw and she wasn't sure if she was ready to share the details quite yet. However, after a time finally said, "Yes, I think I owe you that much at least."

"Okay well first, why were you always so sick? Do your powers give you like a cold all the time or something?" she said referring to all the times her parents had told her Elsa was sick in bed when she asked why her sister couldn't play or why she absent during certain holidays.

"I wasn't ill, Anna. At least not in the conventional way, that was just the excuse Mother and Father used when I was having one of my … episodes," she said looking down.

"Episodes?"

"Every so often something would set me off and my powers would sort of erupt from my body. Thinking back, it was probably from being suppressed for too long. I would often wake up in a fog … sort of like when you wake up from a very deep sleep and you can't form coherent thoughts. It always left me exhausted, nauseous, and gave me terrible headaches. Unfortunately this meant that I couldn't be around anyone for about a day because my room and body would be freezing cold…" Elsa said thinking about how her mother had tried to hug her the first time it happened and how the contact had burned her hands.

"Wow... that sounds awful," she said to which Elsa just shrugged. "They became easier to deal with over time and sometimes I could even stop them if I caught it early enough."

"Umm … when I asked Mama and Papa why they separated our rooms and why you didn't come out, they would always just say that you were busy learning how to be queen and need to be left alone to study. Was any of that true?"

"Yes and no. It didn't start out that way. You see, my more rigorous training didn't truly begin until I was twelve and even that was early because I needed something to distract me. Those first few years spent trying to learn how to control my magic were the hardest. Anything else?" she asked still not looking up.

"One more … why didn't you come to the funeral?"

The queen knew Anna was bound to ask her this question so she was somewhat prepared but it still made her wince. "I was going to, I _wanted_ to … but I was still so weak from that day we found out that when I felt an episode coming on I simply did not have the strength to keep it down."

"What do you mean weak? Like from crying?" Anna asked eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Elsa then reluctantly relayed a somewhat simplified version of her reaction to the news of their parent's death to Anna. She left out the more painful parts, she didn't to upset her sister too much.

She couldn't remember portions but most of it she remembered clear as day. Just barely making it to her chambers before the first wave hit, her body convulsing painfully as the ice ripped from her body. Screaming in anguish and pain until her throat was raw and lungs burned. Her insurmountable grief taking physical form as the blizzard raged in her bedroom. Deadly stalagmites springing up around her almost protectively as she lay curled up in the center of her room effectively destroying every last piece of furniture it housed.

Eventually, waking up to Gerda standing over her hours later, coaxing Elsa from unconsciousness with just her voice since she was still too cold to touch. How it had taken half an hour for the blonde to regain full cognitive function and another six to stop the blinding pain in her head. Her bedroom had been rendered inhabitable for almost a week, at the end of which she immediately returned.

Elsa remembered thinking she would be able to make it to the funeral since she had not had any more episodes after that, believing that she was empty of magic for the time being; but of course, she was wrong.

When she was done all she could do was stare at her hands in shame, unable to cry. There was not a day that went by that she didn't feel guilty about not attending the service.

_I should have been there; to say goodbye... for Anna._

Elsa was jolted from her grave musings when something slammed into her knocking the woman flat on her back and squeezing her painfully. "Anna, I can't breathe," she wheezed.

"I don't rightly care, I need to make up for all the times you needed this and I couldn't deliver," she mumbled into Elsa's platinum hair but softening her grip all the same.

"Thank you Anna, but could you maybe cling to me under the covers, I don't know about you but I am ready for some much deserved sleep," she said yawning.

"I guess I could get onboard with that idea," Anna replied momentarily releasing her big sister and crawling under the sheets beside her. The second Elsa's head hit the pillow the princess cuddled up next to her nuzzling her head directly below the queen's head in the crook of her neck, sighing happily.

Smiling down at her little sister Elsa closed her eyes, stroking the girl's hair as she began to sing a lullaby their mother used to sing to them when they were small.

"_Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, Too-ra-loo-ra-lie,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, hush now don't you cry.  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, Too-ra-loo-ra-lie,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, that's a princess lullaby.  
Over in Arendelle, many years ago,  
My mother sang a song to me, in tones so sweet and low.  
Just a simple little number, in her good old loving way,  
And I'd give the world if she could sing, that song to me today.  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, Too-ra-loo-ra-lie,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, hush now don't you cry.  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, Too-ra-loo-ra-lie,  
Too-ra-loo-ra-loo-ra, that's a princess lullaby."_

"I miss them," Anna said softly.

"Me too," she said giving the girl a gentle squeeze before resuming the melody but deciding to stick to the chorus until she felt Anna's breathing slow and body relax.

Where sleep came easily for Anna, it eluded Elsa despite how weary she was, slipping through her grasp like smoke. Images of the last few days flashing through her mind at random, from watching as the arrow raced toward her chest to looking down at the shackles that encased her hands. However, her mind would always return to one image in particular; Anna's frozen body, shielding her sister from the sword that would have cleaved her head from her shoulders. To calm herself, Elsa chased away the disturbing visions by listening to Anna's heartbeat, eventually slipping into a fitful slumber.

* * *

_All she could see was white. No matter which direction she turned all she saw were the angry snowflakes that whirled around her. Elsa somehow knew she was on the fjord, caught in a furious blizzard that grabbed at her dress and hair with icy fingers. The wind howled cruel accusations at her as she spun frantically searching for anything other than white._

_'You put them all in danger Elsa you are not fit to be a queen.'_

_'You are so weak, can't even control your own powers… pathetic.'_

_'You chased her away, your own sister, you really are a monster.'_

_'Conceal, don't feel! Control yourself stupid girl!'_

_"SHUT UP!" she screamed pressing her hands to her ears. Once the voices quieted she went back to her previous task: escape. They were coming after her and she didn't know if it was to execute or imprison her. It didn't matter she had to keep moving; had to get as far away as possible. But it felt as though she were running through water, her legs heavy and it seemed as though she hadn't made any progress._

_Then everything stood still, snowflakes hung in the air unable to finish their decent and the furious wind died away. And that's when she saw it; a small light glowing in the distance. Elsa didn't know why but she suddenly found herself racing toward it like the Devil himself was at her heels. As she grew closer the light began to take shape; it was a beautiful woman dressed all in blue. One of her hands was stretched above her and she was staring blankly at nothing in particular. Then Elsa noticed something strange about the woman, her skin was the same colour as her clothes and she wasn't moving, almost as if she were …_

_NO!_

_"No! No! No! Anna! Please no! It can't be true! Please!" she screamed falling in a crumpled heap at her dead sister's feet, tears pouring down her cheeks._

_"Elsa? Elsa, what have you done?" said an all too familiar voice._

_Whipping her head around Elsa felt a fleeting moment of joy before shame and confusion consumed her. There, standing above her were the ghostly figures of her parents, looking at her with such disappointment that Elsa flinched as though she'd been struck._

_"I didn't mean to! Mama, Papa, please believe me!" she cried crawling towards them begging for forgiveness._

_Her mother's once beautiful face morphed into a grotesque scowl of pure hatred. "You killed her! Your own sister, she is dead because of you!" she screeched pointing an ethereal finger at her accusingly._

_"MURDERER! MURDERER!" they yelled together backing away slowly and bursting into a flurry of snowflakes that surrounded her. Their voices only increased in volume as the storm raged around her._

_"No! Please! I'm sorry, it was an accident!" she wailed trying to drown out the chanting that filled her head._

"Elsa! Elsa, please wake up!" Anna sobbed shaking the queen violently as she thrashed in her sleep. The princess had been trying to wake her sister for the last ten minutes but no matter how hard she tried the girl was unable to put an end to Elsa's blood curdling screams. The room was becoming increasingly cold and frost had started to form on the window.

"Anna!" the queen shrieked yet again and her skin became so frigid that Anna retracted her hands, hissing in pain.

"ELSA!" she shouted so loudly that she was certain the whole castle must have heard.

The queen's eyes sprang open but they were still far away, looking at Anna without actually seeing her. "Please, you have to kill me, end this torture. Destroy me before I can hurt anyone else. I'm sorry I was too weak to do it myself, I tried. I don't want to live without her, she was all I had left," she pleaded as tears streamed down her face. "Please."

All Anna could do was stare at her sister in horror. _She thought about ending her life? __That's why she wouldn't move when Hans came at her. I knew she could hear him…she wanted to die…_

When Elsa's eyes finally came into focus she looked so panicked that Anna thought she was going to scream again, but when she opened her mouth no sound came out. This only seemed to frighten her more as her eyes widened and she began to hyperventilate.

"Elsa, it's okay I'm right here. It's not real, you need to calm down," she said as gently as she could, trying to be strong for the unravelling queen. However, the blonde didn't seem to hear her as she began to shake uncontrollably attempting to force noise from her throat. The girl then tried the only thing she could think of and grabbed her sister, lying down with Elsa practically on top of her. Anna clenched her teeth against the bite of young woman's freezing cold flesh and wrapped her arms around Elsa's body holding her firmly in place.

At first the elder girl fought against her but Anna just tightened her grasp, she was surprisingly strong for her size but, then again, so was the princess. It took a long time for the young queen to regain full awareness of her surroundings. When she did, Elsa returned her sister's death grip trembling and weeping, completely undone.

Anna lay still, rubbing the woman's back and humming the lullaby Elsa had sung to her just a few hours ago. They remained that way until the queen had cried herself into a mercifully dreamless sleep.

**Notes:**

**As per usual I hope you liked it. Poor Elsa just can't catch a break.**

**Elsa's 'episodes' are based off of my own epileptic seizures (of course mine are a lot less icy ;P)**

**The lullaby is actually a slightly revised version of an Irish lullaby that my grandmother used to sing to me when I was little: ****watch?v=aw9B49epS_M or search "Irish Lullaby" by Bing Crosby.**

******-N.J.B**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for being patient, I have been running around like crazy these last two weeks, but just another 28 days and I will be FREE!**

**Here is a doodle I drew up of how I sort of picture Elsa's new ice crown to look, on my tumblr post/79687206519/quick-doodle-of-the-crown-elsa-fashions-for**

**Enjoy and review!**

* * *

"I'm bored!"

Elsa smiled to herself as she signed her looping signature on yet another document. This one in particular was a receipt regarding the large quantities of food she was having delivered from a neighbouring kingdom. She tried not to dwell on the large figure at the bottom of the parchment indicating price.

Ever since her public address a day ago, her advisors were constantly reminding her of the debt Arendelle would surely fall under if she continued with the celebration she had planned. But she would simply wave the men off assuring them that she would take care of it.

"Then go find Kristoff or Olaf. I'm sure they would be much more interesting than your dull sister."

"But I want to hang out with you," she mumbled slumping in the plush chair she currently occupied. The princess had spent the better part of two hours sitting in the seat across from the queen's desk, chatting with her while Elsa worked. "Come on you have been holed up in this room all morning. Let's go into town."

Elsa sighed and looked up at her sibling's hopeful expression. Anna's suggestion was tempting. The queen was having a difficult time concentrating as she hadn't got much sleep last night. She'd had another one of her night terrors; the only reason she'd been able to get any sleep at all was because Anna refused to sleep in her own room, even if that meant being regularly woken up by her sister's screams and thrashing. It was also true that she had been going over paperwork since breakfast and the walls of her new study felt as though they were starting to close in on her.

In the past Elsa had conducted all of her royal duties in her bedroom but now that she was queen she decided it was time to move to her father's old study. At first it had unnerved her, feeling as though she was trespassing on her father's privacy, but she soon found the extra space to be surprisingly convenient.

"I'm sorry, Anna, but I'm too busy right now. I have a lot to catch up on from yesterday which, if I remember correctly, was spent almost entirely with you. I have a private meeting in a little while and then I will be holding court. It's Tuesday remember?"

One of the very first decrees Elsa had drawn up since her return was that twice a week she would open the castle to anyone who wished to speak with her. The woman was desperate to get to know her people and show them - and herself - she was fit to be a ruler.

Anna's face fell. "Oh."

It didn't matter to the Anna that they had spent all of yesterday together. Walking around the palace; simply enjoying each other's company and catching up. She still wanted to spend every waking moment with her sister, secretly terrified Elsa would eventually get tired of the girl and shut her out again.

The hurt on the girl's face was enough to make the older woman's heart clench painfully. Placing her writing quill back in its respective ink pot, Elsa stood and made her way over to the disappointed princess.

"We will spend time together after dinner okay? …Maybe there will even be some magic involved," she added giving her little sister a wink and placing a single, delicate hand on her shoulder.

Anna crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air. "Fine. I suppose that would be acceptable," she said with mock indifference but Elsa could see the small smile that tugged at the ends of her lips.

"Oh it is, is it?" she replied with a smirk and gave her sister a quick poke in the ribs.

"Ow! Alright-," she giggled swatting away the offending appendage. "-it sounds great. Who are you meeting with anyway?"

"The Duke of Weselton."

"Ewww, why would you want to talk to him?" she asked rubbing the spot where Elsa had jabbed her. "My feet are still bruised from his last visit."

Elsa lips drew into a thin line. She hadn't told the princess about the events that transpired at her Ice Palace after Anna's … departure. The young queen didn't want to keep anymore secrets from the girl but she also didn't want to upset her and the blonde knew this would definitely make Anna very angry.

Resolving to tell her about it later, possibly after the Duke had left Arendelle, Elsa simply said, "Just some matters of trade."

"Boooorrring."

Elsa rolled her eyes and as she did so caught sight of the time. "Oh my, the Duke will be here any minute. Anna I hate to ask you to leave but I need to speak to him privately. You know I would spend the time with you if I could but this is an important matter. Besides I don't think you would be interested in it anyway and-"

Elsa scrambled to find another good excuse to convince Anna to leave without a fuss but the redhead cut her off.

"Okay, Ms. I'm-too-good-to-hang-out-with-my-super-cool-little-sister-cause-I'm-the-almighy-Snow-Queen. I get the message."

Elsa gave her a grateful smile and was about to thank her sister for being so understanding when she was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Yes?" Elsa answered.

"Your Majesty, the Duke of Weaseltown is here to see you."

"Weselton!"

"Thank you Kai. Just a moment," she called before turning back to Anna. "I'll see you at dinner okay? Unless you want to hold court with me, Arendelle is your kingdom too."

"Nah, I think I will go bug Kristoff for a while. You try not to fall asleep during your boring meeting. I hear that's not very queenly," she said giving her sister a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "Bye."

"Bye."

Then she was gone, disappearing into the hallway. Elsa sighed and sat back down at her desk, she was dreading this meeting and wanted nothing more than to shrug off her role as Queen and explore the kingdom with her bubbly little sister.

"Send him in."

After Anna had left her sister's study she had decided to hunt down Kristoff. After a little detective work she found him in the stables grooming Sven. She didn't make her presence known right away, content to just watch him work for a while. The girl felt her face grow warm as her eyes followed the movements of his strong arms as they brushed all the dust and loose hair from his friend's shaggy coat. When he bent over to pick up one of the reindeer's hooves she almost squeaked.

_What the heck is wrong with me?_

"Hi, Anna!" cried a familiar voice from behind her.

The princess had been so busy ogling the ice harvester that she hadn't noticed Olaf come up behind her. His sudden appearance caused her to jump three feet in the air and scream so loud that Kristoff's head snapped up.

"Goodness, Olaf, don't scare me like that!" she cried clutching her chest try to settle her racing heart.

"Hehe, sorry, Anna. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well you know, I got bored and came to see-"

"Do you always enter rooms like this?" came the teasing voice of Kristoff who had dropped his friend's hoof and started walking over to the princess and snowman.

"No! Olaf just startled me is all," she said crossing her arms and shooting him a glare.

"Right _startled_… so what brings you out here?"

"Elsa is busy being all queenly and stuff so I came down to see if you wanted to maybe do something together?" she asked tucking some hair behind her ears and suddenly becoming very interested in her slippers.

The man quickly glanced at Sven for help but the reindeer just kept happily munching on his hay.

_Thanks for nothing you useless cow._

"Uh, okay. Sure. What do you want to do?" he said nervously running his hand through his hair.

A smile spread across Anna's face at his acceptance. "How about we go into town for lunch? I've never really been allowed outside the castle before."

"Yay! I love going into town let's go!" exclaimed the jolly little snowman at their feet. The princess had to grab his little arm before he could run off.

"Sorry, Olaf, remember what Elsa said? You have to wait until the party."

"Oh yeah," he said slumping.

Looking down at the sad little snowman, the princess got an idea.

"Hey you know what Olaf? Would you be willing to go on a special mission for me?" Anna asked allowing the plan to grow in her mind.

"Special mission! Absolutely! What is it?"

"I need you to keep an eye on Elsa for me and give her warm hugs when she needs them. But there's a catch; you can't be seen by anyone except the servants and Elsa herself. Are you up for the challenge?"

The snowman began nodding his head so violently she though it would topple off the rest of his body. "Leave it to me! I'll take good care of her!" he shouted almost like a war cry and raced off to the castle.

Kristoff cocked one thick eyebrow in her direction looking impressed. "Nice one, killing two birds with one stone I see."

"Well you know me, always a multitasker. Wait no that's not right, multitaskist? Multitaskifier? Never mind," she said shaking her head.

"I thought princesses had flawless vocabularies?" he teased.

"Shut up. I can still talk circles around you, ice boy. Now come on I'm getting hungry," she said taking his hand and leading him out of the stable towards the open gates.

"Good afternoon, Your Majesty."

The short, bespectacled man approached her and bowed deeply. Elsa could see his toupee slowly unsticking from his head but before it could fall he snapped back up again.

"Good afternoon. Please take a seat," she said politely indicating the chair that faced her large desk.

The movement of her hand caught his eye and when he noticed it was no longer gloved she saw a flicker of unease.

_Good. _

"Thank you Queen Elsa, you are too kind," he replied sitting down, feet barely touching the floor. "Might I ask to what I owe the pleasure of your summons?"

"I am afraid that I need some council regarding a rather … disturbing dilemma I am having," she said keeping her expression blank.

"Dilemma, Your Grace?"

"Yes you see, two men attacked me up on the North Mountain, for reasons I can only guess, they wanted me dead. Lucky for me, my… how did you put it?... ah yes, my sorcery was strong enough to protect me. And lucky for _them_ Prince Hans reminded me that I don't particularly enjoy ending people's lives…even if it is in self-defence," she paused for a moment to let the man absorb what she had said.

The queen was sure that he had never gotten a chance to talk with his men since their return from the mountain. The guard captain had assured her that Hans had placed the men in a cell as soon as they arrived and they had not had any visitors. Conveniently, the captain chose to leave out the part where he let a stranger lock up his queen in a cell along with them. This meant the Duke did not know that she had single-handedly fought off the two men, almost killing them in the process and she reveled in his surprised expression, brief as it was.

"That must have been very traumatic for you, Majesty," he said evenly and glancing at her folded hands once more.

"Oh yes, very much so and as you can imagine this has left me quite distraught, which is why I am having such a difficult time deciding what to do next, and so I thought you may be able to help me."

"I am very flattered that you would turn to me for guidance Queen Elsa, but surely there are those much more suited to the task. Why me?"

_Still feigning ignorance? Alright then…_

"Well as it appears these men are from none other than your own province... it seemed only fitting," she said looking him dead in the eye and watched as he fidgeted nervously in his seat. "So I ask you, what would you do in my position? If you had welcomed _someone_ into your kingdom, provided _someone_ with the utmost in hospitality, accidentally revealed a very vulnerable side of yourself to that _someone_, and in return have that very same _someone _try to have you murdered. What would you recommend I do with this _someone_?"

Elsa let the thinly veiled accusation hang in the air as she watched for his reaction. At first he looked as though he was going to simply deny everything but he seemed to think better of himself and suddenly his face grew dark.

"You have no proof."

Elsa looked at him through half lidded eyes, as though she found him tiresome, and the woman could tell it irritated him. "This is true, but the matter still stands that two men under your command attempted to put a bolt through my chest and it shall not go unnoticed. I should think that two years of free trade would be adequate as a formal apology."

An angry flush spread quickly from his ears to the rest of his face and he stood so suddenly that his chair fell down behind him; which was impressive considering his size.

"Apology!" he shouted hands balled into fists at his sides. "I owe you nothing, madam; it is _you_ who should be offering _me_ such things. You should be begging at my feet not to reveal to everyone the monster you truly are. You may have fooled all of your witless peasants but I am not so easily deceived."

Elsa's eyes flashed dangerously and the temperature plunged, so that each breath the Duke made left a small cloud of vapor. Every candle in the room as well as the fireplace immediately went out, leaving the only source of light to the small window near her desk. Blue sparks cracked and hissed around the queen's hands which were clasped so tight that her knuckles had turned white.

She was _angry_.

"You forget yourself, sir," she growled. "You will speak of my people with respect whilst in my presence."

"You mean the people who not two days ago were more than happy to hand the throne over to Prince Hans. You are no _Queen,_" he spat. "You are nothing more than a-"

"SILENCE!" she roared slamming her fist against the desk, leaving a small dusting of frost just beneath it.

The Duke jumped back in alarm, his eyes fixed on her hands as she drew herself up, taking full advantage of their height difference.

Elsa's queenly composure was lost only for a second. She took in a deep breath before she turned her face to stone once more. "I offered you a chance to make amends and leave here peacefully. But as it seems you have no wish to do proceed down that path, I will have to think of some other way to deal with you. Kai!" she called not giving the nobleman a chance to respond.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" the manservant asked entering cautiously having felt the temperature change from outside the room.

"Please have the Duke escorted back to his ship, it seems something urgent has come up and he must return home immediately," Elsa directed her attention back to the stunned Duke. "You may come and collect your men as soon as you are ready to sail. That is all," she said before turning back to her desk and sitting down.

Kai gave a bow before gently steering the man out of her study and partially closing the door behind him. Apparently the Duke recovered from his shock once they were in the hallway because she suddenly heard a cry of, "Get your hands off me fool!" before his angry footsteps faded away.

Elsa finally released the breath she had been holding, slumping in her chair and resting her head in her hands. The queen suddenly and desperately wished Anna was with her.

The faint sound of a door creaking open reached the young woman's ears. Assuming it was Kai come to fetch her for the court appearance Elsa lifted her head to assure him she would be down in a minute. However, the words died on her tongue when she saw that no one was there, as if the door had opened on its own.

She was about to move to close it when a familiar giggle stopped her.

"Olaf? What are you doing here?" she asked fondly, turning her seat so that she could face the snowman properly.

"Hi, Elsa! Anna gave me a super special mission," he replied waddling up to her and plopping down at her feet.

"Oh really, and what would that be?" she said cocking her head to the side.

"She asked me to keep an eye on you," he opened on of his eyes comically wide and leaned forward to emphasize this, "and to give you warm hugs if you need them. Do you need any?"

Elsa blinked down at him, processing what he had said; even when she wasn't around, Anna found a way to make sure her older sister was taken care of. Was there no end to this girl's selflessness?

"Come to think of it, that is exactly what I need."

Sliding off the chair to her knees Elsa engulfed the little snowman in a tight embrace as he gasped in delight, proud that he had accomplished the mission his friend had assigned him. The blonde smiled as she felt the stress from her argument with the Duke slip away.

_Thank you, Anna._

After wandering through the crowded streets for a while Kristoff brought Anna to a local shop that served hot rolls and cold meats for a quick lunch. Once they had finished eating, the two decided to simply walk through the market square, two royal guards following at a distance.

Elsa had insisted that if Anna wanted to leave the castle grounds she was always to have an escort. At first the princess had flat out refused the idea, she could not understand why Elsa had so little faith in her ability to take care of herself. However, after a small argument Anna was able to weasel out the true reason behind the queen's request.

"_I can't lose you again, Anna. Please."_

The second Elsa had whispered those words to her, all of her stubbornness melted away and she willingly conceded to her sibling's wishes.

Throughout the day Anna and Kristoff were stopped by townspeople who wanted to meet the girl. Luckily for Kristoff, everyone was so excited to see their heroic princess up close they tended not to notice the man at her side. He was not an overly social person anyway.

Eventually the crowd of avid fans let them be and the pair could return to their browsing. The redhead had already bought a package of gourmet chocolates, some flowers for Olaf and a few new ribbons for her hair. All of which were currently resting in the arms of Kristoff, but the ice harvester was too busy enjoying his time with Anna to mind. He couldn't seem to wipe the dopey grin he'd acquired since the beginning of their trip off his face.

"I hope Elsa isn't working too hard. It's too bad she couldn't come with us, but I think all these people would have made her uncomfortable. She is still getting used to being around a lot of people for long periods of time. Maybe I should have gone to court with her... I bet she's lonely… oh jeez I'm sorry, Kristoff, this whole time I've just been talking about Elsa when I should be talking about stuff you like. Like ice or trolls maybe," she said looking guilty.

"It's alright, Anna, I think it is sweet how much you worry over Elsa. But I don't think you need to worry too much, you did send her a snowman that could make puppies look depressing," he replied with a small chuckle.

"That's true. Is it weird that I miss her already?" she asked glancing up at Kristoff for reassurance.

"I'm not sure that I am the right person to be getting advice about being normal," he said sending her a wink. "But if it makes you feel any better I always miss my family when I go harvesting. No matter how long I am gone."

The man almost dropped all of Anna's recently purchased items when she threw her arms around his waist.

"Thanks," she mumbled against his chest.

She was close enough that he could smell the lavender in her hair, it made Kristoff want to run his fingers through it and find out if it was as soft as it looked. The feeling of her small, warm body against his own sent a shiver up his spine. She fit there so perfectly. Shifting all of Anna's parcels under one arm he wrapped the other around her waist bringing her close. Slowly she tilted her head to look up at him and their eyes locked for a moment.

_Sun and stars she is beautiful. I never realized just how much I like the colour of her eyes, it's like staring into the ocean. Wow that was corny. I wonder if she would let me kiss her?_

His eyes drifted down to her lips, but before he could make up his mind she stepped away from him. Her absence left him feeling somehow incomplete, it was like someone had removed one of his limbs and he needed it back.

Was it just him or did she look a little disappointed? No it was probably just him.

"Come help me pick out something for Elsa, I never got a chance to get her a coronation present," she said turning back toward the shops that lined the street.

Kristoff fell into step beside her and released a very loud yawn.

"Tired are we?" she asked giving him a bemused look and chuckling softly.

He bumped her softly with his shoulder. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it is not polite to laugh at people? And yes I am thank you very much; I'm not used to sleeping in feather beds. I think I am going to have to spend tonight in the stables with Sven. Otherwise how will I ever get any beauty sleep?" he said sighing dramatically.

"Are you planning on sleeping for ten years or something?" she laughed.

"Ouch, freckles, that one cut me deep," he said laughing along with her.

They spent the rest of the afternoon searching for something to give Elsa. Unfortunately nothing was good enough in Anna's eyes. It had to be just right, something that would show her sister that the princess had put real thought into it.

"Oh this would be perfect!" the girl suddenly cried standing in front of an assortment of vibrant writing quills. The one she was pointing to was a shade of ice blue which slowly faded into white.

The man who owned the stall told her that the feather came from the tail of a brilliantly coloured bird that lived in the jungle across the ocean and ate a certain kind of fruit. The girl bought it without hesitation and was practically shaking with excitement at the prospect of seeing the look on her sister's face when she gave it to her.

_Curse the man who built this blasted chair!_

Elsa had given up trying to find a comfortable position while seated on her throne. The thing was terribly uncomfortable with no cushioning beneath her and the back of the seat forcing her to sit ramrod straight. The queen had been listening to townspeople and noblemen for well over three hours now and her backside was going numb. It felt as though her spine was about to snap in two and being among so many people for this long was starting to make her anxious.

The blonde had to blink few times in order to get her attention back on the representative in front of her; a tall man in his fifties, well-built and skin tanned brown from years of working in the sun. He had come to her on behalf of Arendelle's farming community. It seemed the rapid cold snap was going to have a significant impact on them this year.

"…so you see, Your Majesty, due to the recent…um…weather, most of Arendelle's crops have been lost, so our food exports will be taking a rather significant hit. However, since it occurred so early on in the summer, I think that we will still be able to get in another harvest before the end of the season and get enough stored away to feed ourselves for the winter," the man said twisting his hat in his hands and praying he had not offended the queen by bringing up the change in weather.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, kind sir. I am glad to hear that my people will not go wanting for food even if exports will be halted," she made a mental note to contact partners and warn them of this and hoped her plan regarding her new item of trade would work the way she hoped. "However, it sounds to me that Arendelle's farmers will have to endure a loss of income and I apologize for that. I hope that a reduction in taxes this season will help with this problem."

The man blinked up at her in surprise and as the realization of what she had just said sunk in, a childish grin lit up his weather beaten features. "Thank you, Majesty! You have no idea how much this means to us," he said bowing over and over again.

Elsa could feel the eyes of her royal treasurer glaring at her and could practically hear his thoughts:

_This woman is going to bankrupt the entire kingdom because she is too busy trying to be popular!_

The queen couldn't bring herself to care, if she had her way Arendelle would make it out of this with only minor damage, if only out of sheer force of will.

"No sir, do not thank me. It is I who should be thanking you, and all the men and women you represent. Your hard work puts food on our tables and it was high time you received the gratitude you deserve," she said with a warm smile.

"Bless you, Queen Elsa," he bowed once more before slipping back into the crowd.

There were only a few more visitors after that, a man who asked for funds to replace some livestock he had lost during the freeze, to which Elsa granted; a woman who had come to ask the queen for protection against her abusive husband; and finally a Lord from Russia who presented her with lovely furs as a coronation gift made from the pelt of a white bear. She thanked him graciously for his gift and deciding that was enough for the day, sent Kai a look over her shoulder.

Having known Elsa since birth and spending most of that time learning to anticipate her emotions, Kai was easily able to pick up on her silent message. "That will be all for today. Her Majesty would like to bid you all a good evening. All bow for Queen Elsa of Arendelle."

Standing, joints stiff from lack of use, Elsa tipped her head to the many lowered ones and slowly made her way to the exit. Once she heard the doors close behind her Elsa sank into the nearest bench and released an exhausted sigh as she felt her anxiety begin to dissipate.

Kai soon joined her and gave her warm smile. "Your father would have been so proud," he said softly.

The praise meant the world to Elsa. The queen had always looked up to her father; the way nothing ever fazed him and how he was able to command the respect of anyone with just a look. And even though Elsa knew her father loved his daughter very much she'd never truly felt as though he was proud of her.

"Thank you Kai…for everything," she said giving him a watery smile and lay a small hand over one of his large ones.

"Go and get some rest. I will come and fetch you when dinner is ready," he said after a few moments giving her hand a gentle pat.

Elsa nodded and watched him leave, dabbing at her eyes.

_It would be nice to go a day without crying_, she thought to herself.

Now that thirteen years of buried emotions had been released it seemed that Elsa could barely go a few hours without crying, be it from sadness, fear or joy.

"Psst, Psst! Elsa? Is the coast clear?"

"Yes, Olaf, you can come out now," she said trying very hard to stifle the laugh that was building in her chest.

Throwing aside the velvet window curtain he had been hiding behind, the little snowman came bounding over to the young queen and climbed up onto the bench she currently occupied, snuggling up beside her.

"You were in there an awfully long time. What were you doing?"

"Well, I was listening to the questions and concerns of Arendelle's citizens."

"Was it fun?" he asked, absentmindedly playing with his stubby legs.

"Not particularly, and that wooden method of torture didn't help matters, but as their Queen it is my duty to make myself approachable."

"So you were putting their needs before your own?" he asked looking up at her.

Elsa pondered his question for a moment, "I suppose, in a manner of speaking."

"Awww that's so nice! I'm glad you love the people so much. I bet they love you too, since you're the nicest, prettiest, warmest, most loving queen ever," he proclaimed wrapping his tiny stick arms around her waist.

Elsa couldn't have removed the smile from her face even if she wanted to. The Duke himself could have been screaming insults at her and she would have been helpless to do anything but grin up at him in joy.

"Thank you, Olaf," she said returning the hug. "I was thinking of going for a walk through the palace garden before dinner, would you like to join me?"

"Absolutely, let's go!" he exclaimed, seizing her hand and dragging her toward the entrance hall.

"Slow down, Olaf, it's this way."

"Oh, Kristoff, look! Have you ever seen anything so beautiful before?" she said holding up the newly purchased quill.

After spending the whole afternoon watching Anna be so unbelievably adorable and especially after having come so close to actually kissing her, the ice harvester wasn't exactly thinking clearly.

So he simply blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "You're beautiful…wait, what?"

Realizing what he had just said Kristoff turned so red that if Anna wasn't currently giggling like crazy and blushing herself, she would have been worried he'd catch fire.

_Smooth, Bjorgman, real smooth._

Having caught her breath and seeing how embarrassed the mountain man was Anna decided to save him. "Thanks, you're not so bad looking yourself. Come on we should be getting back, I don't want Elsa to worry if we are late for dinner," she said signalling him to follow her. The man had stopped listening after her statement about his looks and could only follow her in a daze.

Anna and Kristoff managed to make it to the dining hall only a few minutes after Elsa and Olaf had been seated. The princess excitedly told her sister all about going into town and how fun it was seeing all the people and looking at all the items for sale. In return Elsa gave a brief description of her day, leaving out her confrontation with the Duke.

Halfway through their meal Olaf proudly declared that he had easily completed his mission of taking care of his creator. This made the redhead blush and look to Elsa a little embarrassed. However, she was pleasantly surprised when the queen took her hand and told her just how much she appreciated the gesture.

Kristoff spent the entire meal between staring at Anna and talking awkwardly with the queen, who seemed oddly interested in getting to know him. He did his best to impress her, knowing full well that if wanted to continue seeing Anna he had to first earn the approval of the monarch. He'd seen first-hand just how protective Elsa was of her sister so he knew that he would have to tread carefully.

Once they were done eating the mountain man wished the royals and Olaf a good night before leaving for the stables. Evidently he wasn't joking when he'd said that he wasn't able to sleep properly in the guest bed and so decided to try his luck in the hay loft above Sven.

"So what do you want to do now?" asked Olaf as the trio left the dining hall.

"Well, I do believe I promised someone that we would do something 'magical' this evening. Any thoughts Anna?" the queen said smiling in her sister's direction.

"You bet I do," she replied grabbing Elsa by the wrist and jogging toward the palace's grand ballroom.

"Anna, please this dress was not made for running!" she cried but her words fell on deaf ears as the princess continued to drag her forward, an ecstatic Olaf close behind.

When they reached their destination the girl threw open the heavy wooden double doors and came to a stop in the center of the large room. Grinning from ear to ear Anna looked up at the blonde expectantly.

"Make it snow! Make it snow!"

"Okay but don't expect anything too amazing. I'm tired so-" she began but the redhead interrupted her.

"Wait you mean your powers aren't like unlimited or something?" Anna said with a confused look on her face.

"No, they …," Elsa had to take a moment to think of a good way to explain how her magic worked. "They draw on my energy reserves just like any other form of exercise. Although my … I guess what you might call 'endurance' has improved over the years. Like I said, as I grew, so did they," she said shrugging and looking down at her hands.

"But you froze the summer, built an ice palace and a huge living snowman all in few days! That must have taken a _ton _of energy! And now all of a sudden you're a little tired and that might affect your powers? That makes no sense," she said narrowing her eyes at the queen.

"I have been wondering that myself. And the only answer I can come up with is that I had stored away quite a bit of magic for close to three years and I was running almost purely on adrenaline," she said shaking her head. "I don't think I could do it again."

"Hmmm, I guess that makes sense."

"Well I am certainly glad that it happened, because that means you were able to make me!" Olaf declared happily.

"Yes, I am happy about that too," Anna said giggling and wrapping the little snowman in one of the warm hugs he loved so much.

Watching her little sister and creation hug each other Elsa felt her chest fill with so much love and affection she was afraid she might start crying again.

_This is really getting ridiculous._

Smiling, Elsa called to the magic that flowed through her body, drawing in the moisture from the air and closing her eyes as she felt the ice gathering in her fingertips. Drawing in a deep breath the queen began to weave the frozen magic around her hands, gathering it into a condensed ball of snow as Anna and Olaf looked on in awe.

Peeking through one eyelid Elsa looked down at the pair, "Ready?"

When the two nodded simultaneously Elsa threw the ball of magic high up into the ceiling where it burst into a flurry of rapidly falling snowflakes that quickly filled the ballroom with a layer of fresh powder. Immediately Elsa felt the effects of her little display as a wave of exhaustion washed over her and realized she may have overdone it a little to impress her sister. Shaking off her fatigue the blond turned back to the freckled girl who was currently trying to catch snowflakes on her tongue.

"How's that for impressive?" she said with a smug look on her face.

"Don't get too full of yourself," Anna snorted, a spark of mischief flashing in her eyes. "Ooo look at me I'm Queen Elsa, I erect giant palaces made of ice with a snap of my fingers and make my own clothes because I feel like it," she said in a high pitched, sing-song voice and flinging a braid dramatically over her shoulder. "Yes sir, I am a very important person, pardon me as a twirl my pretty little self over to the- umph," she grunted as something cold and wet collided with her face.

"Oh I'm sorry, dear sister, I didn't see you there."

"Did you just throw a snowball at me?"

"Absolutely not, don't be ridiculous. As you so lovingly pointed out I am a _Queen_ and queens most certainly do not throw magical snowballs at people," she said putting on her mask of calm serenity, which Anna liked to refer to as her 'Queen face'.

"Oh you are so going to pay for that," she said gathering snow in her hands. "Come on, Olaf, you're on my team!"

"Yay Anna's team! Wait, team for what?"

"Now Anna, do you really want to challenge the Snow Queen? That hardly seems fair," she said with fake seriousness.

"Charge!" Anna roared throwing snowball after snowball at her sister who made a very undignified shriek before taking refuge behind a large marble pillar and launching her own counter attack.

The girls continued to hurl snow at one another for little over an hour, little Olaf running around their feet refereeing the battle. Eventually Anna was able to catch the queen and tackle her to the ground. They lay side beside each other, breathless from laughter and let the snow cool down their overheated bodies while Olaf made snow angels.

After a few minutes Elsa stood up and helped her sister to her feet. "Alright missy, that's enough for today, let's get you dried off before you catch a cold," she said brushing a loose strand of Anna's hair back into place.

"Yes, ma'am!" the princess replied saluting the queen.

Laughing, Elsa gave a quick wave of her hand to evaporate the snow back into the air before slipping her arm through that of her sibling's and led her out into the hallway.

After changing into some dry clothes the girls sat together alone near a large fireplace sipping hot chocolate, since Olaf had decided to explore the castle. They had opted to stay in Anna's bedroom tonight and the queen prayed that she would be able to _actually_ sleep. The last two nights had left her drained and she didn't know how much longer she could put up with it.

_I wonder if Gerda knows of any sleeping draughts I could take…_

Elsa was jolted back to the present when Anna suddenly shot to her feet, almost spilling her hot beverage in the process.

"I almost forgot! I can't believe I forgot! Come on Anna, get it together," she grumbled running over to bedside table where a pile of items Elsa couldn't quite make out, sat.

"Ah hah!" she cried triumphantly holding something in her hands.

Elsa craned her neck to see what it was but before she could the princess quickly hid it behind her back.

"What have you got there?" she asked, curiosity piqued.

"I remembered that I never got you anything to celebrate your coronation when I was in town today so…" she said moving back to the large chesterfield where the queen was sitting.

"You got me a gift?" the blonde asked a look of utter surprise crossing her face.

"Yup! Congratulations on becoming queen, Elsa!" she exclaimed proudly bringing the concealed object out from behind her.

Elsa breath caught in her throat as she looked wide-eyed at the most beautiful writing quill she had ever seen. The woman reached out with shaking hands and delicately picked the utensil up from her sister's palm. It fit perfectly in her hand and the queen couldn't help but stare at the striking colour of the feather, Elsa had no idea such a thing existed.

"I figured you could use it to sketch, you know 'cause you said you like to do that," she said smiling up at the elder girl, searching her face for any indication that she had picked the right present.

Elsa could feel the tears building up in her eyes as she continued to stare down at the quill; it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever received. "I did say that, didn't I?"

"Do you like it?" Anna asked as doubt started to creep into her mind the longer the woman stared at her present.

_Oh no! She hates it, I knew it! Not even been together for two days and I have failed as a sister!_

"I love it," Elsa said softly her eyes shining with unshed tears.

"You do?"

"It's perfect. Thank you Anna," she said placing a soft kiss on her forehead and pulling the girl into her arms. "I love you."

"I love you too, Elsa," she replied nuzzling into the queen's neck.

"Alright young lady, time for bed," the older woman commanded taking her sister by the hand and steering her toward the four-poster bed on the other side of the room.

"Awww, but I'm not even tired," she protested stifling a yawn and flopping down on the bed.

Laughing, the queen prodded the remaining logs in the fireplace in order to stifle the flames. When she was satisfied, the blonde strode over to where Anna was already curled up, blankets bunched under her chin.

"Anna, are you sure you want me to sleep here tonight? I don't want to keep you up if I … have the dreams again," she said twisting her hands together and glancing in the direction of the door.

"Elsa, stop being silly and get in here," she said not opening her eyes and lifting the sheets.

The queen hesitated for a moment before slipping beneath the covers next to her little sister who curled into her side, wrapping one arm around her waist.

"Mmm, that's better," Anna sighed. "Goodnight, Elsa."

"Goodnight, Anna."

"Sweet dreams."

_I hope so, _she thought to herself as she felt sleep tugging her mind into darkness. _I hope so._

"_Your sister is dead, because of you!" he yelled over the howling wind his face a mask of desperation._

"_No! No, you're lying!" she screamed at him. But before he could respond he was swept away by the storm._

"_Elsa? Elsa, where are you? I'm so cold," came the soft voice she knew so well._

"_Anna!" she cried frantically looking for the voice's owner. "Where are you, Anna?!"_

"_Elsa…Elsa…it's cold, Elsa…Elsa…"_

_Finally she saw her. The queen ran, but no matter how fast she moved the queen never seemed to get any closer._

"_I'm coming, Anna! I'm here!" she cried trying in vain to make her legs work properly, tears streaming down her face in frustration._

_Suddenly, there she was right in front of her, alive. The girl was shivering and had her arms wrapped around her torso._

"_I'm so cold," she whispered refusing to meet Elsa's eyes._

"_It's okay, Anna. I've got you," the queen soothed taking the princess in her arms, but as soon as her skin made contact the younger woman went stiff._

_When Elsa looked down her eyes flew wide with horror, Anna was encased in ice, the face looking up at the queen was contorted in absolute terror._

"ANNA!" she screamed and tried to sit upright but something heavy was pinning her down. Panic spread through her like wildfire as she began to struggle. "Anna! Where are you?" she cried trying desperately to rid herself the weight that held her to the bed; she needed to find the princess.

"I'm here, Elsa, it's alright, it's not real," she said softly waiting for the blonde to realize it was just a dream.

Slowly the queen stopped her struggling and pressed her ear to Anna's chest as silent sobs wracked her body. The princess had soon come to understand that the only sure way to calm Elsa after her nightmares was to let her listen to her little sister's heartbeat. It wasn't long before the redhead drifted back to sleep. Elsa, on the other hand, fought it for as long she could, terrified of what waited for her when she did.

**Notes:**

**Damn this is the longest chapter so far!**

**Here is a link to what I used as a reference for the quill (made from the feather of a macaw): B_G_ **

**review, review, review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello my beautiful readers!**

**First off let me start by thanking all of you for following/faving/reviewing this story. It means so much to me!**

**Sorry for the huge gap between updates, I had crap storm of stuff to do. But I have officially graduated University so now I will have much more time to spend on this little hobby of mine. **

**Hope you like the chapter :)**

* * *

"Gah, my corneas!" the redhead moaned as the sun's rays streaming through the large bay window hit her straight in the eyes. Anna slammed her lids shut and waited for her eyes to adjust to the bright light.

"Elsa, I think it's time to get up," she announced sleepily. When she received no response the girl rolled over to find her sister missing. "Hmm, she must already be awake," Anna said to herself, frowning. She knew Elsa had not been sleeping well since the accident and it concerned her that the queen was getting up early as well.

Sitting up and stretching, the princess sighed happily as she felt her spine pop and muscles relax. Hopping out of bed and quickly taming the wild rat's-nest she called hair, Anna decided to go and track down her sister.

"Probably in her room, as always."

"Hey Elsa, what do you want to do today?" Anna called as she approached the large white door that guarded the interior of the queen's chambers. God how she hated that door. It always seemed to be glaring down at her, silent and mocking. "You don't have court, so I was hoping we could do something together if you don't have, like, a billion meetings or something," she said smiling. She continued to dream up all the things she wanted to do with her big sister as she reached for the door handle. "Maybe we could–"

Anna was abruptly cut off when the handle of the door did not budge.

_That's odd. She promised she would keep her room unlocked from now on. What if she's… _No. _S__he wouldn't do that, she promised. Calm down, she is just changing that's all. Yeah she's changing._

"Elsa, can I come in?" she said knocking shyly and looking up at that _stupid_ door as her anxiety began to build.

No answer.

_Maybe she's not in there…_ then she heard a very soft but distinct, thud.

"Elsa?" she tried again.

Nothing.

The princess was suddenly transported back thirteen years ago as she watched the sister she adored so much shut this very same door in her face for the first time. A wave of panic swept suddenly through her, this was becoming far too familiar; Anna on the outside, confused and pleading, Elsa on the inside, silent and indifferent.

"Elsa, please open the door, you're scaring me!" Her cries became more frantic as she pulled and jiggled the handle. Again, silence. "Answer me! Elsa, please I just got you back, don't shut me out of your life again!"

Hot, angry tears trailed twin paths down her face as she pounded the door over and over again.

"Elsa! Elsa! Open the door, Elsa! Elsa!"

_It's not true! It can't be true!_

Elsa had awoken long before the dawn, feeling just as worn as she had the night before and found the room to be coated in a very fine dusting of snow. Sitting up in bed and sighing in frustration, Elsa waved the precipitation away.

Try as she might the young queen could not escape the terrifying images that plagued her mind each time she closed her eyes. Elsa was no stranger to nightmares, in fact, after her visit to the trolls they became quite frequent. But these were different, they felt so _real_ and the visions would often continue even when Elsa was awake. They were beginning to take their toll. She could feel her powers becoming more difficult to keep under heel as her mind and body became increasingly strained.

_I don't know if it is a good idea for Anna and I to share beds anymore…_

A soft snore caught her attention and she had to bite back the laugh that threatened to escape her lips. In her sleep, Anna had spread out to take up well over half the bed. Limbs were sticking out in all directions, hair was defying a number of physical laws and a wet spot near her mouth hinted at some possible drooling.

Moving as quietly as she could, the blonde swung her legs off the side of the large bed, trying her best not to wake the sleeping princess. Shaking her head, Elsa placed a gentle kiss on her sister's forehead, causing the girl to hum contentedly in her sleep and snuggle deeper into the pillows. The queen smiled down at her fondly before padding silently over to the door and shutting it behind her with a soft click.

Going to her own bedroom, she dressed herself in a modest high collar gown; consisting of a violet bodice and skirt as well as a black, long-sleeved underdress. Then, weaving her hair back into the loose French braid she had become fond of – tight buns tended to give her headaches - Elsa made her way to her study to get some work done before breakfast. She knew it wouldn't be for another couple of hours, since most of the castle staff were still asleep.

Settling down at her desk, Elsa began to rifle through the neatly stacked papers that littered its surface. There was so much to be done before the party, she had only three more days and the queen wanted everything to be perfect for her little sister's celebration. Elsa knew it was going to be exhausting work but at least she wouldn't be left wanting for proper writing equipment. The queen smiled as she pulled out the new writing quill Anna had given her the night before and dove into the mountain of paperwork, eager to get most of it done before the princess woke up.

Elsa worked diligently for almost three full hours when she began to feel her eyes droop and her wrist burn. Leaning against the back of her chair the queen rubbed her tear ducts with her thumb and forefinger, fighting the exhaustion that threatened to overwhelm her. It was then that she heard the loud banging and the cries of her name coming from the royal bedchambers.

_Anna!_

Elsa ran as fast as her legs would carry her, frost erupting from each step she took.

Did the Duke send someone to hurt her sister in an attempt to get back at the queen? Was _he _somehow back in the castle? The thoughts were enough to make her run that much faster toward her sister's voice.

The blonde stopped abruptly at the sight she was confronted with as she rounded the corner. At the end of the hallway was the crumpled form of Princess Anna, sobbing in front of Elsa's bedroom. The blonde almost fainted with relief when she saw the girl was unharmed. However, that didn't mean she wasn't in pain.

It was what Elsa heard next that nearly broke her heart.

"Elsa, are you hurting yourself? I heard what you said in your sleep, you said you wanted to… that you tried to… Elsa, please don't," she sobbed. "I need my sister, don't leave me again! If it's because you are afraid you might hurt me … I promise I will leave you alone, I will do anything you want, just _please _don't die!"

Elsa couldn't move, couldn't think. Anna knew. She knew the one thing that the queen had hoped to take to her grave, even more so than the secret of her powers. No one was ever supposed to know about the terrible things Elsa had thought about during her darkest times. The times when she could no longer stand the fact that her very existence put everyone around her in mortal danger, especially those she loved most. But she was never able to bring herself to do it, she was too scared and the guilt of what it would do to her family would always stop her. Besides, she suspected that her ice would have prevented her even if she had attempted to go through with it.

While the queen was lost in her own thoughts, Anna had nearly reached hysterics; she had picked herself up of the floor and had begun to slam her body repeatedly against the wood, seemingly determined to breakdown the door to get to Elsa. Pain lanced through her arm and shoulder with each crash but she ignored it, her desperation clouding her senses. So much so that she didn't hear her sister's voice until the queen was all but screaming.

"Anna, stop!"

The princess whirled around to see the blonde racing toward her, frost trailing after her like a glittering train. When she reached the confused girl, Elsa began to thoroughly examine the arm that had only moments ago served as a makeshift battering ram.

"Are you hurt? Is anything broken?" she asked her voice edged in worry as her shaking hands hovered over the limb. "Anna, do I need to call the physician? Anna, say something!" she said taking Anna's face in her hands, eyes searching for any sign the girl could hear her.

"B- Bu- But you're in t- there," she stuttered jerking her thumb weakly behind her.

"Anna, what are you talking about? I've been in my study all morning."

Too many emotions were swirling inside the princess, so much so that she felt her body go numb. Her thoughts came slowly and her vision had narrowed so that all she could see was her sister's concerned face. Suddenly she began to shake violently, choking back sobs as the adrenaline rushing through her system started to wear off. It wasn't long after that she felt her knees give out beneath her.

"Anna!" Elsa cried catching the girl before she fell and holding her close, while still being mindful of her potentially injured arm.

The younger woman began to cry in earnest now, her body collapsing in on itself as she pressed her face into the queen's shoulder. She clung to her sister with an almost violent need, hands grabbing fistfuls of Elsa's gown as the wails tore from her throat. Every fear, every doubt Anna had buried over the last few days came rushing to the surface and she felt herself becoming lighter with each shuddering breath.

Elsa merely waited for her sibling to cry herself out, wrapping her arms protectively around the girl and resting her head on the auburn locks. She started rubbing small circles on Anna's back and combed her fingers through her hair, content to play the supportive big sister for once.

"Shhh, shhh, it's alright. I'm here, I'm here. I'll always be here," she cooed rocking gently from side to side.

It was a long time before Anna calmed. She had stopped crying for the most part with just a small hiccup every now and again, but she had not for one second loosened her hold on the queen. When the blonde moved to pull away the girl held on that much tighter whimpering softly.

"Anna," she said gently. "I know you are upset but you need to let go so that we can talk. I am not going anywhere. Let's just find somewhere to sit okay?"

Slowly the girl nodded before turning herself so that she was more at Elsa's side and the queen draped a single arm across the princess' shoulders. Still not fully trusting that this was real, Anna kept both arms firmly clasped around her sister's waist. Making walking a little bit difficult but they were still able to slowly make their way to the nearby library.

When they entered the room, Elsa steered the redhead to a nearby couch and eased her down to the cushions. Anna reluctantly allowed her sister to slip out of her grasp, but it took all of Anna's remaining will power to swallow a cry of pain at the loss of contact.

Kneeling down in front of her, Elsa placed a cool hand on the girl's cheek and spoke very softly, as though addressing a skittish animal. "I'm going to light a fire, okay? I'm afraid you might be in shock so I need to get you warm." The queen could see the tears building up again and Anna's bottom lip was trembling as she leaned into her sister's touch. "I'll be right back."

Elsa waited for Anna to indicate she understood before slowly rising to her feet and moving to the hearth to wake the sleeping embers. The princess' eyes followed Elsa's every movement.

Once the older woman was satisfied with height of the flames, Elsa turned back to her sister who was still shivering despite the rising temperature. Grabbing a blanket from one of the nearby chairs the queen wrapped it around herself before taking a seat next to Anna and lifting her arm.

Anna needed no invitation, launching herself at the blonde and burrowing into her side as Elsa cocooned their two bodies in the heavy cloth.

Resting her head on her sister's shoulder the redhead felt herself begin to relax.

"I'm sorry, Anna."

The princess' head shot up to find the queen could not meet her gaze. She was terribly confused as to why Elsa would need to apologize when it was she who freaked out for no reason.

"What for? Y- You didn't do anything wrong," she said softly, her voice cracking due to lack of use.

"I am sorry you had to find out that way, find out at all." Elsa closed her eyes and she seemed to deflate a little.

"Elsa, it's okay I -" she started before the queen interrupted her.

"No," she said firmly. "No Anna, it most certainly is _not_ okay."

The woman suddenly became very serious as she took the younger girl's hands in her own, locking her startling blue eyes onto Anna's teal ones. "Firstly, and let me make this quite clear, I have no intention of leaving you that way. Not now, not _ever_. Those … thoughts came from a life long ago, a life without you in it. Do you understand?" she said her voice stern as she tightened her hold on the girl's hands.

Anna bowed her head, feeling ashamed that she could ever think that Elsa would do that to her. She opened her mouth to apologize but the queen read her expression and wasn't having any of it.

"Stop that right now," she said a little harsher than intended.

A little shocked by her sister's tone, Anna snapped her mouth shut and lifted her eyes once more, meeting Elsa's piercing gaze.

"Never apologize for the way you feel. Especially not to me."

The girl was about to argue but Elsa placed a finger on her lips, effectively silencing her.

"Let me finish," she said gently. "I've done you wrong, Anna. I pushed you away and kept you in the dark for a long time. It is completely understandable that you are not yet able to fully trust me and that is okay. I am more than willing to work very hard to build that trust again, and if that means letting you have Olaf trail me for the rest of my life so be it," she said her face softening.

That earned her a small smile, which she returned before bringing their foreheads together. "From now on, I will start each and every day reminding my wonderful little sister just how much I love her. And I will tell her that I won't _ever_ willingly leave her side again, how does that sound?" she asked bringing the girl into a warm embrace.

"I think she would like that," Anna mumbled into the crook of Elsa's neck. Sighing as she felt all her worries fade away. "Hold on, I heard you in your room," she said leaning back, eyebrows knitting together in confusion.

"I left my window open, something probably just blew over," the blonde said with a shrug. "Now, let's take a look at that arm shall we?"

It was when then that Anna started to become aware of the throbbing pain in her left shoulder. She hadn't felt anything up until now, but now that she had been made aware of it, it seemed to amplify tenfold.

The princess hissed in pain as she slowly removed her arm from the sleeve of her night gown while Elsa waited, her face etched in worry. Already a nasty blue and purple bruise had started to spread across her upper arm where most of the force had been directed.

"Oh, Anna," Elsa whispered in horror, eyes filling with tears as she ghosted her fingertips over the darkening flesh.

"I'm fine, Elsa, really. See? OWW!" she yelped after trying lift her arm up above her head. She only made it half way when obviously someone decided to stab her in the shoulder with a branding iron.

"Anna! That's it I'm taking you to the physician," she said pulling the girl to her feet.

The princess couldn't help but smile as Elsa fretted over her; pacing around the room anxiously as the royal physician, a stern looking woman with spectacles that magnified her eyes to three times their normal size, examined her. The physician assured the queen that her highness would be fine but warned her that Anna'd come very close to causing serious damage. Once she was done wrapping Anna's shoulder and placing her injured arm in a sling, she instructed that the princess was not to do any heavy lifting for at least a week.

"Wait, here let me get that for you," Elsa said jumping forward to open the door for her sister. The blonde had insisted on helping Anna dress, refusing to listen when the redhead argued she wasn't a child and didn't need help. Secretly, she was ecstatic at the attention she was receiving and loved having her big sister attending to her every whim.

Once they had wrestled Anna into her gown Elsa asked Gerda to bring their breakfast to her study so that they could go over some of the celebration plans together. The two royals sat together on the window seat, parchment fanned out between them trying to sort everything out.

"We should do something for the children," Anna said through a mouthful of egg.

"Anna, please don't talk with your mouth full, you are supposed to be a lady remember?" Elsa scolded playfully, taking a sip of her tea.

In response Anna opened her mouth wide for a few seconds, giving her sister a lovely view of the massacred meal before slamming it shut with a smirk.

Elsa was so shocked that she could help but burst into fits of hysterical laughter. "Oh my God, Anna, you are absolutely barbaric," she giggled wiping tears from her eyes and placing her teacup back on the dining tray next to them to prevent spilling it all over her dress.

"What? I'm pretty sure our etiquette tutor told me that was the proper way to eat," she replied with a shrug. "Anyways back to the party, I was thinking that we could get some performers or something to come to Arendelle and do a show for the kids. What do you think?

The queen looked thoughtful for a minute, "I think it is a wonderful idea, I'm sure there must be some talented individuals out there. I will ask Kai to send someone out to hire a few," she said nodding and scribbled down some notes.

Anna smiled when she noticed her sister was using the quill the redhead had given her and tried not to let it show just how happy she was that Elsa thought her ideas were good. Hoping she was on a roll the princess tried to think of any other activities the royals could prepare for the upcoming celebration.

"Hey, Elsa?"

"Hmm?" she said not looking up from the parchment.

"When we were kids what games did we play, involving your powers I mean?" she asked shyly, she knew this was still a delicate subject for Elsa.

The blonde looked up and watched as the girl pushed a half-eaten sausage around her plate unable to meet the blonde's eye. "Why do you ask?" she said a little stiffly.

"Well, I was just thinking that it might be good if people could see your powers up close. And since you told me that I really loved seeing you do magic when I was little, I still do now by the way, that maybe you could do that same kind of stuff for the kids or maybe even the adults. Just 'cause I want everyone to love them just as much as I do," she answered, watching the young queen out of the corner of her eye.

"I don't deserve you, you know that."

The princess turned to find Elsa looking at her with such love and affection the girl couldn't help but beam up at her. "Well, I do," she said tucking an imaginary strand of hair behind her ear and fidgeting under her sister's intense gaze.

"Thank you," Elsa said earnestly. "As for our childhood games I suppose some of your favourites were building snowmen of course, sledding in the ballroom, seeing who could slide the furthest … oh and you loved it when I made you little ice figurines," she replied with a small smile as she recalled the happy memories.

"Figurines?" she asked curiously tilting her head to one side. "Show me, show me!"

Laughing, Elsa cupped her hands together and Anna watched in fascination as a soft white light emanated from between her fingers. When the queen slowly pulled her hands apart the princess felt her jaw go slack as she looked down at the miniature Sven that materialized in Elsa's palm.

"Can I?" she asked.

When the blonde nodded Anna very carefully picked up the tiny replica with her one usable hand and brought it close to her face for a better look. The details were breath-taking; she could make out the individual hairs of his coat, even the tiny whiskers on the reindeer's nose.

It was perfect.

"Oh, Elsa," she breathed. "How? It's- It's _amazing_!" the girl looked up at her sister in absolute awe.

"I'm glad you like it," Elsa replied smiling and shook her head when the girl tried to hand it back to her. "No, no you keep it."

"Really! Thanks, wait until I show Kristoff. He is going to freak out when I do, I bet he cries," she giggled as she thought about how he would react if she gave it to him. And then it hit her. "That's it!" she cried suddenly causing the older women across from her to jump. "You can make these for the children! Oh my goodness this is perfect, it will show everyone how awesome your powers are _and_ it will be a great activity for the kids. When did I become a genius!?" she shouted gesturing wildly, almost dropping the tiny Sven before looking over at Elsa expectantly.

To her surprise the woman did not look as excited as she did, hugging her arms around her torso - Anna had learned early on was a sign the queen was feeling anxious – and staring at the floor.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, it's just… I'm not sure I am ready for that kind of… exposure," she said hugging herself a little tighter and keeping her eyes downcast.

"I know you still aren't really used to crowds yet but you can't say inside this castle forever right? I think it will be good for you and besides, you did great during the public address. Come on, I'll be right there with you," she said bending over a little so she could force the blonde to look at her as she gave her a reassuring smile.

Elsa visibly relaxed at her sisters words but couldn't help but still be a little nervous. It wasn't so much the idea of being around people –although that did still spark some anxiety- it was more the thought of publicly using her magic.

"You really think that people would enjoy seeing my powers up close?" she asked softly looking down at her hands.

"Absolutely! I mean how could they not? They just need to see all the amazing things you can do with it, like making Olaf or your ice palace…" the princess trailed off. She had a faraway look in her eyes and Elsa could see the cogs slowly turning in the young woman's mind. "Hold on to your crown, Elsa, because your sister is about to blow you away with the amount of genius she possess," she announced practically trembling with barely contained excitement.

Elsa gave a very unladylike snort to which the princess threw her a half-hearted glare. "I'm sorry, please continue with your blowing away," she said raising her hands in front of her.

"Alrighty here we go, what if, now stay with me, we were to let people go up and visit your ice palace? Before you say anything, I know it is like private and stuff but listen, it is the most beautiful thing you- no, anyone has ever made, like _ever_. If people saw that, there is no way they would ever think your powers could be bad, no way, no sir, definitely not," Anna said nodding her head firmly and crossing her arms, at least as much as one could with an arm trapped in a sling.

"You know, it's funny... I had that very same idea," Elsa chuckled.

Anna felt her jaw go slack, she had been convinced her sister would be completely against the idea.

_Our mental synchronization…yep we are definitely sisters._

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**You didn't think that I would let Elsa have all the torture did you. I'm so mean to these two...**

**That thing where Anna flashes her chewed food is something my mother likes to do cause she thinks she is fucking hilarious and now both my sister and roommate have picked it up. FML**

**Thank you to athpluver for her beta-ing 3**

**-N.J.B.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks again for all the reads and reviews. Fair warning, Kristoff will be swearing from time to time, but mostly in his head. He did spend a good portion of his life working alongside Ice Harvesters in the middle of the mountains after all.**

**Enjoy and review :)**

* * *

"Kristoff!"

The mountain man looked up and when he saw Anna waving at him from the stable door he put down the piece of tack he had been cleaning and waved back. Standing, he wiped the leather soap that coated his hands on a rag before walking towards her, smiling.

Anna felt her face heating up and stomach do an impressive somersault.

_Oh no. No. No. No. I can't handle this. HE ISN'T WEARING A SHIRT! WHY ISN'T HE WEARING A SHIRT!? Christ, look at his bloody arms! It should be against the law to have that many muscles out in the open all at once. But just look at his arms! Oh my God, Anna, stop staring at him!_

Tearing her eyes away from his bared mid-drift Anna attempted to focus all her attention on a spot in the middle of the man's forehead.

"Well, good morning, your Highness. No screaming today?" he teased, laughing when she scowled at her royal title.

"No," she said sticking her tongue out at him.

His smile quickly faded when he noticed the sling. "Anna, what happened to your arm? Are you okay?" he asked, eyes full of concern and cupping her cheek in his large, callused hand to check for any other signs of injury.

She felt the familiar warmth fill her chest at his touch. "I'm fine, Kristoff. It's a long story. Let's just say that Elsa will no longer be leaving her bedroom locked. Even when she's not in it."

It was then Anna realized how close she was standing to his exposed chest and hastily took a step back. "Maybe you should put some clothes on. There are children around here you know."

Kristoff looked down at himself and smirked. "What? It's hot in here and I didn't want to get any soap on that shirt you gave me. Why, like what you see?"

He watched as her eyes flickered down but immediately shoot back up to that spot on his forehead when she realized he was watching. He couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"I'll take that as a-" he began, but the jest turned to dust on his tongue when he saw the queen stride into the barn behind her sister.

"Anna, have you found Mr. Bjorgman ye- Oh!"

He stood there in horror as Elsa's eyes widened a bit as she took in the sight of him.

_Great Mother Earth this cannot be happening. This is a nightmare! I am standing half naked in front of Anna's sister, the Queen for shit's sake!_

"Apparently you have," she said in amusement and raised an eyebrow. "Good morning, Mr. Bjorgman."

"I…uhh…um…" he stuttered getting redder in the face with each passing second.

_This can't possibly get any worse. Form words you idiot!_

"G- Good morning, Majesty. I apologize for my- my indecency, excuse me while I just – I – sorry. I'll be right back!" he said frantically running to get the shirt while mentally kicking himself for sounding like a complete fool in front one the one person he desperately wanted to impress.

"Oh my goodness, Elsa, I think you broke him," Anna giggled, but quietly enough so that Kristoff couldn't hear her.

"It appears I have," she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand. It wasn't polite to laugh at another person's expense. "Maybe I should wait outside, call me when you're done," she said and made her way back out of the barn.

"Where did your sister go?" Kristoff asked nervously, now fully convinced that Elsa was going to ban Anna from ever talking to him again.

"Jeez relax, Kristoff. Stop trying so hard, she already likes you, y'know," Anna snickered at the man's fidgeting and lay a comforting hand on his arm.

"Wait, what? She likes me? Really?" he said in shock.

"Yeah, you goober, can't you tell?" she asked walking past him and over to Sven who was sticking his head through the door of his stall trying to get her attention. She giggled when he snuffled her face, tickling her with his whiskers and eventually handed him a carrot from the large bag that hung outside his stall.

Kristoff was still staring at Anna as though she had just told him that the sun had decided to start rising in the west from now on. He was having hard time wrapping his mind around the idea that the Queen did not find him repulsive. She was so hard to read, always wearing that mask of cold indifference. How Anna was able to decode even a portion of what was going on in that mysterious woman's heads was beyond him. He was still pondering this when he realized Anna was speaking.

"Sorry?"

The redhead rolled her eyes at the distracted ice harvester. "I _said_ that Elsa and I are going up the North Mountain today and we were wondering if you would be our guide. Elsa doesn't really remember the way, plus you'll get to see the _Ic__e Palace_," she sang.

As if Kristoff needed to be persuaded to spend the day with Anna; she could have asked him to jump in the ice cold Fjord and he'd have done it merrily. What made him apprehensive however was the knowledge that the Queen was coming with them, that scared him out of his wits. For half a second the man was tempted to make up an excuse but a chance to see the ice palace up close was just too good to pass up. How bad could one day with Anna's sister be?

"Sure," he agreed.

"Are we almost there yet?" whined a bored Anna. Her horse snorted as she slumped in her saddle jostling his back. "Sorry, boy."

The group had been riding for an hour now and the redhead could feel the air getting colder. Here and there drifts of snow dotted the terrain. Even at the height of summer, the peaks of Arendelle's mountain range remained capped in snow.

"Elsa, how in God's name did you get up here in one night?" she asked urging her gelding to trot up alongside her sister's tan mare.

It had been nagging the girl for a while now; on horseback the trip only took two hours at most, but on foot it had taken a full day – although that run in with the wolves probably set them back more than a few hours. But that still meant that Elsa made what should have been a day long journey in just a few hours.

The young queen pursed her lips at Anna's choice in language but decided to let it slide since they were well outside the palace gates. Elsa gave her sister a sideways glance before looking forward again and noticed that Kristoff, who was leading the party atop his friend's back, had turned his head slightly in her direction. It seemed he, too, was curious as to how she reached the top of the North Mountain so quickly. Even Olaf who was seated snuggly behind the mountain man stared at her in rapt attention; Elsa had decided to bring him along to make sure he did not wander while she was away.

"Well…" she began slowly, bringing her horse to a stop and looking down at her gloved – Elsa rarely rode and did not want blisters - hands. "I wasn't really thinking about what I was doing. I just knew I needed to get away as fast as possible," she said sadly and then added in an even softer voice, "to keep you safe."

Looking up at the princess, Elsa was comforted by the warm smile she found and proceeded with her explanation as Olaf, Anna and Kristoff stopped to listen. "I slid," she said simply.

"What do you mean you slid?" Anna asked curiously.

"Yeah Elsa, show us!" the little snowman clapped.

Sliding down from her mare's back, the Queen then walked about ten feet away from the group and crouched low, holding one arm in front of her and the other behind her. Taking a deep breath and knitting her eyebrows together in concentration, the blonde woke her icy magic. On the exhale she released a steady stream of ice from the hand in front, forming a continuously expanding path while at the same time propelling herself forward using a column of winter air flowing from her other hand. Her combined actions resulted in Elsa skating across her frozen trail at a rapid pace around the onlookers.

Satisfied with their looks of awe, Elsa slowed to a stop and dissipated any remaining traces of her ice. The queen smoothed out her dress before striding back over to her friends and pulling herself back into the saddle.

"Wow, that looked like fun, Elsa! You'll have to take me for a ride some time," Anna squealed.

"Maybe," Elsa replied fondly before steering her horse to the rear of their party.

As the last in line she could stay lost in her thoughts while still keeping an eye on her little sister, who was now animatedly chatting with Kristoff and the snowman behind him. The queen decided that she should spend the rest of the trip thinking about the work she needed to attend to when they returned home.

Elsa shifted her weight trying to get comfortable in the leather. Unlike her sister, Elsa had chosen to ride side-saddle and it was a decision she was very much regretting the longer they travelled.

She had been thinking of needing to speak to Kai about all of the plans Anna had thought up for the celebration when she heard the princess' cry.

"There it is, I see it! Look up there!

Elsa looked up and there it was indeed, just as magnificent as the day she had built it. In the afternoon light the palace, born of cold winter air and mountain rain combined, glittered and shone like a diamond in the sun. Elsa felt a wave of nostalgia wash over her as she gazed up at the shining ramparts. To Elsa this was more than just some building she'd constructed, hastily made to protect her from the elements. It was symbol; a symbol of her freedom to use her magic without fear or judgement, a symbol that her powers were capable of more than just pain and suffering. She could create.

_I never knew what I was capable of…_

Race ya," Anna suddenly called digging her heels into her horse's sides and surging ahead, snow flying from under her horse's hooves.

"Anna!" Elsa yelled in panic as the girl disappeared from sight.

It took only a few second for Elsa and Kristoff to react, but it felt like hours to the queen. Soon both were charging after the wild princess, whose elated whoops echoed all around them.

"Wheeeeeeeeee!"

"Anna slow down please!" Elsa screamed trying desperately to catch up with the girl. When the princess finally did come into view she was waiting next to her steed at the bottom of the staircase that lead up to the Snow Queen's palace.

Elsa leapt from the back of her horse and strode over to the girl with deliberate angry strides, snow crunching under her boots. "Anna, don't _ever_ do that again! What if something happened to you!? You already have one injured arm, you could have fallen, or - "

"Elsa, I'm fine," Anna soothed frowning at how upset her sister was, the blonde looked close to tears. "Really, Elsa. Please don't be mad… I- I thought we were having fun," she said hanging her head like a chastised child.

The queen sighed and took her sister's hand between her own. "We were, it's just… I worry about you with that sling, Anna. I know you're a skilled rider, but I need you to take it easy today, for the sake of my sanity … please?"

"I have to agree with the Queen on this one feisty-pants," Kristoff piped up as he jumped down from Sven's back before helping Olaf down. "First rule of the North Mountain, _stick with the group_," he said matter-of-factly, earning an appreciative look from Elsa and a raspberry from the princess.

After conjuring a hitching post to tie up the horses the four of them made their way inside the glittering castle.

An ecstatic Olaf ran through the open door giggling loudly and narrating everything he saw.

"… and those were the doors we came through when we first came here. Oh, there's the fountain I saw the first time we came here. Look, look there's the balcony where we saw Elsa for the first time, the first time we came here."

Anna was close behind him giggling at the snowman's commentary and sliding all around, bouncing from one room to another.

Elsa and Kristoff took up the rear, walking side-by-side each lost in their own thoughts. Kristoff was busy trying to memorize every detail, every facet of the beautiful structure. While Elsa, was reliving the unpleasant memories of fighting for her life. Had it not been for _him,_ there was no telling if she would have survived the encounter or instead become the very thing she had fought so long to avoid. A killer.

She was suddenly jolted back to the present when Anna grabbed her hand began to drag her up to the second landing.

"Wait, Anna," Elsa said, trying to think up a good excuse to explain the huge mess they were sure to find that didn't involve assassins and falling ceiling fixtures. But to her never ending surprise the room was swept clean of all debris, even her defensive ice was gone. Elsa looked up to make sure that she hadn't simply dreamt the whole thing up. The broken shaft was still attached to the ceiling.

_Did he clean up before taking me back to Arendelle? No. Why on earth would he do that?_

"Come on I want to see if we can spot home from here," Anna announced pulling her sister to the balcony, completely oblivious to the Queen's confusion. However, the princess came to an abrupt halt when she heard booming footsteps and what sounded like grunting coming from the adjoining room to her right.

Without a second thought Elsa placed herself in front of her sister ready to use any means necessary to keep Anna safe. The queen tensed her body for whatever it was, hoping her power would be strong enough to protect them. She could feel the surrounding structure reacting to her fear as the ice popped and cracked beneath their feet. With a sweep of her hand Elsa conjured three very large, very sharp stalagmites and pointed them directly to where the noises were coming from.

"What is it, Elsa?" Anna asked pressing close to her sister's back, the contact making her feel safer somehow.

"I don't know, but once I have it distracted you are to run and find Kristoff and then you are to leave. Understand?" she said eyes never leaving the direction of the ever approaching footsteps.

"No way, Elsa, I'm not going anywhere! I -"

She was about to argue further but the source of the sound rounded the corner with a warning growl. It lurched forward as though hindered by a limp, towering well over ten feet tall and large glistening spines rose from its broad back. Empty sockets focused on the girls and narrowed as if it were trying to decide if they meant it harm.

Anna clutched the queen's gown tightly as she recognized the snow golem.. Although this time it was much more menacing, this time it had claws and fangs made of jagged ice. Someone had obviously angered the snowman with more than just a snowball since she'd last seen it.

"_Mama?_"

Both women started at the voice. It was deep and rumbling, like the sound of an avalanche crashing down a mountain's slopes. The golem took a step forward and all at once the threatening spines, teeth, and claws shrunk away as a huge grin spread across his face.

"Did that thing just call you mama?" Anna cried bursting into fits of laughter.

"It would appear so," she said cautiously lowering her defensive spikes. "Um… hello," Elsa greeted, unsure of how much the creature understood. However, her voice seemed to further excite the creation as he shuffled a little closer and extended a hand down to her.

"I think he wants you to sit in his hand," Anna prompted.

"Oh I don't think - "

But Elsa never got a chance to finish her objection when she was shoved from behind to stumble into the waiting palm. Before she could compose herself the queen felt the ground shift beneath her and had to sit down in order to prevent herself from falling as the golem brought her close to his face.

"_Mama?_" he asked again, icy breath blowing strands of hair loose from the blonde's plait.

"Yes, um…I suppose I must be. Did you clean up in here?" she inquired gesturing to the lack of shattered ice and smiled when he nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, well thank you," she said reaching up and giving him an appreciative pat on his chin.

"Sweet mother of reindeers, not that thing again! Anna, run! Don't worry, Queen Elsa, I'll get you down from there!" hollered a frantic Kristoff who had run up to see what was causing all the commotion. He quickly jogged over to a still giggling Anna and took out one of his pick axes to use as a weapon.

Olaf on the other hand had other ideas as he ran over to the feet of the now growling snow giant who was clutching his creator close, shielding her from the possible threat. "Brother!" he called, waving to get the other living snow creature's attention.

"It is alright, Kristoff," Elsa assured. "He isn't going to harm me. Put me down please," she commanded calmly. The giant slowly lowered Elsa to the ground, glaring at Kristoff all the while. "Thank you. It's okay, these are my friends. This is my sister Anna, her friend Kristoff, and Olaf… who is a lot like you actually," she said gesturing to each of them respectively.

"Hi there, brother!" Olaf giggled, wrapping his twig arms around one of the golem's enormous legs.

Anna waved up at him while Kristoff simply continued to eye the giant apprehensively. The snowman grunted a greeting before picking up Olaf to examine him further.

"Does he have a name?" Anna asked hopefully.

"I don't think so," Elsa responded, looking up at her two magically forged creations thoughtfully. "Any ideas?"

"His name is Marshmallow," Olaf announced as the giant placed him back down on the floor.

"How do you know that?" asked Kristoff, crossing his arms. He had yet to see any similarities between the fluffy treat and this monster.

"Because he is a big softy of course!" exclaimed the little snowman as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Do you like that name?" Elsa asked the massive snow creature.

"_Yes, mama,_" he answered happily.

"Sorry I threw a snowball at you before, Marshmallow. No hard feelings?" Anna asked and grinned up at him when he nodded. "You know Elsa, I'm no expert but if we are going to open up your castle to the public I'm pretty sure our friend here is going to give some people quite the scare."

"Hm, good point. Let's see, what shall I do with you?" she thought aloud. The queen seemed to reach some sort of decision because she suddenly began to weave her hands through intricate patterns in front of her. Swirling and casting her magic so that glittering snowflakes danced around the giant, surrounding him completely. Slowly, Marshmallow began to shrink. And once he had reached a more agreeable size, one that was less likely to send people fleeing in terror – about a head taller than Kristoff - Elsa stopped. Her chest heaved and sweat dotted her brow from the amount of effort it had taken to work her magic.

"There," Elsa said between breaths. "That is much better." Breath. "Marshmallow, would you be able to take care of the palace while I am away and show people around two days from now? Just for the day that is," she asked laying a hand on Marshmallow's arm.

Anna frowned when she noticed the woman's face had drained of colour.

"Elsa are you okay? You look a little pale, and I mean paler than usual pale. Not that you look sickly or anything, you just have pale skin, which isn't a bad thing, it's just - "

"Anna," the older woman interrupted, smiling.

"Yeah?"

"I'm fine, thank you. Why don't you, Olaf, and Marshmallow here go and see if you can find anything I need to repair or add as decoration," she suggested.

All previous concerns forgotten, Anna snapped to attention. "Challenge accepted! C'mon guys," she called sprinting from the room.

"Wow you really know how to stop a ramble in its tracks," Kristoff chuckled shaking his head as he watched the adorable redhead slide out of sight, the two snowmen hot on her heels.

"Yes well, it seems Anna has not changed much since we were children in that regard," she said smiling after the girl. Then, turning back to the man her expression became more serious. "Thank you for bringing her back to me, Mr. Bjorgman."

The sincerity in her voice caused him to blush and he shifted uncomfortably under her gaze. "Oh, well it was no problem really. And please, call me Kristoff," he said rubbing the back of his neck as she nodded. "Besides, Anna has a way of making you drop everything and do whatever she needs."

Elsa laughed at that, pressing a delicate hand to her lips. "Yes, she does seem to possess a certain talent for that sort of thing doesn't she?" Elsa agreed.

The two had begun a slow circuit of the room, and for a few minutes walked in comfortable silence. Elsa, repairing any chips and cracks in the ice while Kristoff observed, captivated by her ability to bend the frozen crystals to her will. Spellbound, Kristoff watched as the ice bordering a rather large fissure in the wall liquefied and spread over the gap, sealing it once more. Never being good with words, Kristoff simply said the first thing that jumped into this mind.

"Wow."

"Thank you, I'm glad you like it," she said. It was nice to be around someone who didn't view her powers as frightening; that job was usually reserved for Anna.

"Like it? It's amazing," he said running his gloved hand over the now smooth surface.

"Anna tells me that you became rather…overwhelmed the first time you came here," the queen said as a sly grin tugged at her lips.

When the man realized that the Queen of Arendelle had just informed him she knew Kristoff had come exceptionally close to tears upon laying eyes on her magnificent ice palace two things flashed through his mind. One, he was going to need to have a 'chat' with Anna when he found her and two, there was a good chance that he was going to melt a hole in the floor with all the heat that was radiating from his face.

"I – well – you see – about that – I - " he sputtered desperate to think of something, anything to say that wouldn't make him sound like a complete fool.

Kristoff was seriously considering jumping off the balcony when he noticed the woman was giving him an amused look and he quickly realized she was teasing him. Once he came to this realization the mountain man couldn't help but form a grin of his own.

"Well, as someone whose life quite literally revolves around the stuff I have become quite attached to it," he replied with a shrug.

"I suppose I can relate to that," Elsa said with a chuckle and resumed their stroll around the castle once more.

"Have you been an Ice Harvester long?" she asked after a few moments.

"Yes, your Majesty, almost my whole life in fact. The trolls weren't the only ones who raised me. The local ice harvesters taught me how to survive on my own when my parents died and helped me learn how to make a living," he explained, remembering how worried Bulda had been when he finally decided to return to the ice.

"Is there a high demand for ice here in Arendelle?"

"In the summer yes, but work is much harder to come by during the winter months. Most people can gather their own ice once the fjord freezes," he said. "However, the ice we collect from the mountains is the highest quality for leagues, so it is a pretty high commodity for the nearby kingdoms year-round."

"And you sell your ice to Arendelle which in turn sells that ice to our neighbouring nations. Is that correct?" she asked, absentmindedly producing a few benches.

"That's right," he replied, impressed at her knowledge of the topic. But he supposed as ruler Elsa would need to be well versed in the kingdom's affairs. That being said, Kristoff was still a little unsure as to why the Queen would show any interest in his line of work.

She seemed to sense his confusion. "I am in the process of developing a new form of trade, which I am hoping may solve some of the … financial problems that our kingdom may be facing in the coming months," she explained. "And since it involves our ice exports, I believe that someone such as yourself, who is well versed in the subject, might be able to help me," Elsa said turning to face Kristoff so she could speak to him properly, hands folded neatly in front of her.

"I'll do what I can, Majesty," he replied, apprehensive he could provide any kind of useful advice.

She simply nodded appreciatively and continued, "Well as I'm sure you've noticed, the ice under my control is quite a bit different from its natural counterpart. The most glaringly obvious distinction being that it can withstand heat for a lot longer than your average ice," she stated. "My idea is a rather simple one: I sell my ice. It will be much easier to transport to distant nations and will last much longer than what we are currently selling. This would both broaden our market and I am willing to bet some would pay rather handsomely for a product such as this. What do you think?

He thought about her proposal for a moment. He had to admit it had merit, people would most definitely be willing to pay more for ice that didn't melt within days of purchase and that would mean Arendelle could transport perishable goods much further. Plus, the fact that it was magical would probably draw folks to it. There was only one problem, "I think you are trying to put me out of business, Majesty," he said, grinning.

She smiled back at him, surprised at just how comfortable she was around the Ice Harvester. Maybe it was because she could see just how much he cared for Anna or maybe it was the way he almost worshipped her powers. Whatever the reason, Elsa found herself thinking that they may one day become very good friends.

"Fortunately, I have considered that little detail. Although not a poor kingdom, there are those here in Arendelle that may not be able to afford a rise in price and I must consider their needs as well. So I don't believe you or your fellow harvesters shall go wanting for work, Mr. Bjorgman," she said.

"Kristoff," he corrected.

"Apologies… Kristoff," she amended. "Additionally, I will not be able to conjure individual orders, it would simply be too time consuming. Instead I think the more practical option would be to produce a very large quantity and hire a select few individuals to distribute the ice accordingly," she finished, rather pleased with foresight.

"Hmm, well it seems as though you've thought of everything. Anna was right, you really are quite clever."

Elsa felt herself blush at the compliment. "Anna talks about me?"

"Are you kidding, you're _all_ she talks about. You're like her hero or something," Kristoff replied earnestly.

The queen absolutely lit up at his words. Warmth surged through her entire body and she felt happy tears prick the back of her eyes.

_Whoa, hold on! I'm making the Queen cry! Shit, what do I do!?_

But as quickly as the tears had come Elsa forced them away, deciding she was not quite _that_ comfortable with Kristoff. Instead she decided to change the topic, "Well I know Anna cares a great deal for you as well."

It took all her strength not to laugh at the wide-eyed expression on Kristoff's now beet-red face. "It is alright, Kristoff, no need to be embarrassed. You seem like a very nice man and I can see that you make her happy," Elsa said giving him a reassuring smile. "Although, I hope you realize that should you hurt my sister in any way, you may no longer see my powers in such a positive light. Anna is my quite literally my everything…but I'm sure you already knew that," she said, deadpan.

Part of Kristoff knew she was just teasing him. But the other half, the half that kept reminding him of Elsa's face when she had advanced on Hans, knew that Elsa was deadly serious.

"I do."

"Hey you two, I'm back. Whatcha talking about?" Anna called skipping through the entryway and sliding over to the pair. Elsa braced herself to catch the enthusiastic princess but to her surprise Anna came to a stop right in front of her.

"Oh, just exchanging some friendly advice," Elsa replied flashing Kristoff a smile, that in Anna's opinion, seemed a little suspicious.

The redhead narrowed her eyes at her sister. "What kind of advice?"

"Oh, you know just boring ice stuff. Nothing you would be interested in," Kristoff interjected, grinning down at Anna who pouted in response.

Anna decided there was something the two weren't sharing with her and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. The princess didn't like feeling like the odd man out, but at the same time she was ecstatic that her two favourite people were getting along.

"Where are Olaf and Marshmallow?" Elsa asked before Anna could drill the pair further. "Have you misplaced my snowmen?"

Ever the proper lady, Anna stuck her tongue out at Elsa. "No," she replied smugly, placing a hand on her hip. "Marshmallow said he needed to get something and Olaf went with him. They should be up soon. Also your palace looks fine, nothing to repair and there isn't much furniture anywhere, which might be a good thing. No one can steal stuff."

It was then that the two snowmen emerged from the far-side of the chamber; Olaf waddling as fast as his little legs would allow, and Marshmallow limping behind him. It suddenly occurred to Elsa that she still didn't know when he'd acquired the injury and made a mental note to fix it before she left.

"Elsa! Elsa! Look what Marshy found." Elsa smiled at the nickname and raised an eyebrow, giving the little snowman a questioning look.

Once he'd hobbled over to his mistress, Marshmallow extended a single arm out to her. "Mama?" When he opened his hand she was surprised to see it held something Elsa thought she would never see again.

"My crown."

Elsa reached out and gingerly took the solid gold tiara from the snow golem, her mouth set in a hard line. Memories of tossing it away and vowing to never return to the life she'd left behind flooded her mind. How she had abandoned her family and shirked her responsibilities in an attempt to protect her kingdom.

_A lot of good that did anyone_,she thought bitterly.

Anna watched the barrage of emotions flashing across the young queen's face as she stared down at the crown in her hands. She was also quick to notice the very small tendrils of frost growing beneath her sister's fingers, a clear indication Elsa was upset. "Why don't you let Marshmallow keep it? I mean, it's not like you really need it anymore, the one you made is suits you much better," she said hoping it wasn't some family heirloom or something.

A grateful smile lit up Elsa's features at Anna's suggestion. "What do you think, Marshmallow? Would you like to keep it?"

The sound that emanated from the larger snow creature was partway between a roar and shriek of joy. Elsa soon found herself being lifted off the ground as Marshmallow had enveloped his creator in a bone crushing embrace. Arms pinned to her sides, the queen could feel the air being forced from her lungs and her ribcage shifted painfully.

Olaf clapped and hopped back and forth at the affectionate display but Anna and Kristoff were a little less enthusiastic, both yelling frantically at the snowman to release the Queen. In the end it was Elsa herself who had to coax him to put her down. The second her feet touched the ice Anna rushed to her sister's side to make sure Elsa was okay.

Once the older woman convinced the princess there was no harm done she decided it was about time they headed back to the castle. But before they did, Elsa remembered to repair Marshmallow's injury, which apparently had been caused by 'a bad man' that the blonde could only assume meant Hans. Of course this brought up a few questions on Anna's part which Elsa did her best to deflect, promising they would discuss it later.

Just thinking of the Prince caused the ice in the queen's veins to stir restlessly, but also reminded her that she had yet to repair the beautiful ice chandelier that had been her pride and joy. It had been the most complex piece in her palace before its untimely demise and although a small part of her tried to reason that she did not have enough energy for the endeavor she decided she wanted to make a new one.

Asking the others to give her some space Elsa called upon the last of her dwindling strength to call upon her magic. She focused on keeping her breathing steady as she reached out with her mind until she could sense every drop of water that made up her palace. Once she located the shaft Elsa then pushed her magic through her palms into the floor, willing it to climb to the spot where she had focused all of her attention. She could feel the sweat beading on her forehead and her limbs growing weak as she strained to maintain control. Once she felt her power reach its destination she simply asked it to spread and expand the frozen crystals into the hundreds of geometric shapes that had made up the original fixture.

Throughout the entire process, Anna's eyes never left her sister and she was not happy with what she saw. Anna could tell this was too much for the queen and was willing to bet that Elsa knew this too, even if she was too proud to admit it. It was clear in the way her arms and legs shook as well as the damp stain on her back; Elsa's lack of sleep had left her completely drained.

Kristoff, however, could not tear his gaze away from the incredible sight that was happening right before his eyes. It was indescribable the way she was able fashion such a beautiful creation, just with ice. It was like music. Music she was weaving into something tangible, something you could see and touch.

_If only I had half her talent. I would be able to make _real_ ice sculptures._ He thought as he recalled his old hobby. _Maybe I can ask for some lessons or something._

He was broken from his reverie when he saw a flash of red fly past him. Anna had rushed over to her sister in order to offer some support. The Queen looked as though she were ready to faint.

"I'm fine," she said waving the princess away and taking a step forward. "I'm fin- Oh!"

Walking had clearly been a mistake as all her limbs had turned to jelly and her head was suddenly spinning. Just as her legs gave out Kristoff shot over and took over for Anna, holding out a large arm for her to grip.

"Okay... maybe not so fine," she said with a sheepish grin.

"Well, if you didn't have to be such a show off Kristoff wouldn't have to practically carry you. Sometimes you can be so stubborn, Elsa I swear. How on earth are you going to ride a horse?" Anna scolded, throwing her arm in the air dramatically.

"Calm down, Anna," Kristoff laughed, causing her to send him a glare. "I guess you will just have to ride will me, your Majesty," he said letting her lean heavily against him.

"Kristoff, please," she replied with a grin. "Call me, Elsa."

* * *

**Thanks again to my awesome beta athpluver.**


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